Bodycam Video Shows New York Correctional Officers Pummeling Handcuffed Man In Fatal Beating

This image provided by the New York State Attorney General office shows bodycam footage of correction officers beating a handcuffed man, Robert Brooks, 43, at the Marcy Correctional Facility in Oneida County, N.Y., on Dec. 9, 2024. via Associated Press NEW YORK — Newly released video of a fatal New York prison beating shows correctional officers repeatedly pummeling a handcuffed man, striking him in the chest with a shoe, and lifting him by the neck and dropping him. Kathy Hochul, who said she was “outraged and horrified” by videos of the “senseless killing.” The footage made public Friday shows correctional officers repeatedly punching Brooks in the face and groin as he sits handcuffed on a medical examination table. “He deserved to live, and everyone else living in Marcy Correctional Facility deserves to know they do not have to live in fear of violence at the hands of prison staff.” The union for state correctional officers, which viewed footage of the assault before its public release, said in a statement: “What we witnessed is incomprehensible to say the least and is certainly not reflective of the great work that the vast majority of our membership conducts every day.” “This incident not only endangers our entire membership but undermines the integrity of our profession. She called on the state prison system to “address the systemic issues that allow such brutality to flourish.” Tina Luongo, a chief attorney at The Legal Aid Society in New York City, called for “complete transparency” on state correctional staff’s use of force and a “full accounting of this tragedy.” “Like everyone who has seen this video, we are horrified, angered, and deeply saddened,” said Luongo, calling the assault on Brooks “a grotesque display of inhumanity that is utterly appalling.” “Too often, the violence that occurs behind prison walls remains hidden or becomes normalized in the public eye once the headlines fade,” said Luongo, whose organization provides public defender services and has clients in state prisons.