In what could be termed as a horrifying video of unimaginable brutality, multiple prison guards brutally beat a Black inmate named Robert Brooks to death. Brooks, who was serving a 12-year sentence for assault, was 43 years old at the time of his death.
The final moments of Robert Brooks’ life, which were recorded by the body-worn camera footage from the night of December 9, were released by New York Attorney General Letitia James to ensure “transparency and accountability” in the aftermath of Brooks’ death.
The shocking video depicts one of the officers even using a shoe to hit Brooks in the stomach. Another officer yanks up the jailed inmate by his neck and drops him on the table.
The officer then removes the man’s clothes as he lies motionless and covered in blood on the table.
Later that night, Brooks, after an examination, was pronounced dead.
Disturbing Video Exposes Brutal Death of Black Inmate Robert Brooks
NEW: Body-cam footage released showing New York correctional officers smirking as they "fatally beat" a man in handcuffs.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 27, 2024
Sickening.
43-year-old Robert Brooks passed away on Dec 10 at Wynn Hospital in Utica, NY.
The New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigations… pic.twitter.com/BwLPnOS9fH
The video was released by New York Attorney General Letitia James, and as detailed by James, the video is devoid of audio because the guards had not turned the audio on even though the camera was activated.
The video, which is quite grainy, shows Brooks prostrate on the hospital bed with a number of guards pinning him down.
A preliminary autopsy has confirmed that Brooks’s death was caused by asphyxia precipitated by the compression of the neck. A detailed autopsy report is still awaited.
According to the Associated Press, Robert Brooks was serving a 12-year sentence for first-degree assault and had been recently shifted to Marcy from the nearby Mohawk Correctional Facility when the tragedy occurred.
The incident has devastated Brooks’s family, who have expressed indignation and grief over the release of the video. The Brooks family said that it was a torturous experience to view the last horrendous and cruel final moments of Robert’s life.
However, the Brooks family has composed themselves and stated,
“We will not rest until we have secured justice for Robert’s memory.”
The incident has horrified the general public as well as the high and mighty, with New York Governor Kathy Hochul stating,
“We have no tolerance for individuals who cross the line, break the law, and engage in unnecessary violence or targeted abuse.”
Kathy Hochul ordered the state corrections commissioner to dismiss 14 officers who were either directly involved or who failed to intervene.
The video has once again ignited the debate about police and prison brutality, particularly against Black individuals. The 2020 national protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, calling for racial justice and accountability, could once again find utterance.
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