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The state Attorney General’s office is expected by the end of the week to release video footage from body-worn cameras of staff at Marcy Correctional Facility who were involved in an incident that reportedly left one incarcerated man dead earlier this month, sources told Spectrum News 1.
Robert Brooks, 43, died Dec. 10 after an encounter with multiple correction officers at Marcy, an all-male medium-security facility in Oneida County. Over the weekend, Gov. Kathy Hochul directed state Department of Correction & Community Supervision Commissioner Daniel Martuscello to fire 14 correction staff involved in the incident on Brooks, who was serving a 12-year sentence for stabbing his girlfriend in 2016.
"Law enforcement professionals must be held to the highest standards of accountability, and I am committed to providing New Yorkers with the transparency they deserve," state Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement Saturday.
A coroner has not yet released Brooks’ cause of death.
Sources say state lawmakers visited the facility ahead of the video’s release, adding the footage is gruesome and state officials are concerned about public backlash.
Brooks was hospitalized Dec. 9 after multiple correction officers allegedy beat him while he was handcuffed. He died the following day.
The incident remains under investigation by the state Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation. James’ office will release the footage voluntarily, as state law does not mandate the video to be released.
State law requires the office to investigate every incident where a civilian dies as a result of an encounter with law enforcement, including a correction officer. The officer may be on or off-duty, and the person who died may be armed or unarmed.
“On behalf of the Office of the Attorney General, I offer my sincere condolences to Mr. Brooks’ family and loved ones," the attorney general said.
Over the weekend, leaders with the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association, or the state correction officers’ union, said they reviewed video footage that only captures a small portion of the incident.
"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," according to a statement from NYSCOPBA on Sunday. "…What transpired at Marcy Correctional Facility is the opposite of everything NYSCOPBA and its membership stand for. When this footage is released to the public, it will undoubtedly draw comparisons to other high-profile incidents of violence involving law enforcement. This incident has the potential to make our correctional facilities even more violent, hostile, and unpredictable than ever before. Our members will face heightened challenges as a result, and any efforts to improve their working conditions and quality of life will be overshadowed by this incident.
"This incident not only endangers our entire membership but undermines the integrity of our profession. We cannot and will not condone this behavior."
