FBI probing horrific bodycam footage showing prison guards ‘beat & choke handcuffed inmate to death’ in NY prison
THE FBI are now investigating the horrific body camera footage that saw prison guards fatally beat a handcuffed inmate.
The feds are reviewing the horrifying video after Robert Brooks, 43, died following the beating in a New York prison.
The shocking footage shows Brooks being punched, kicked, and lifted by his neck at Marcy Correctional Facility in a jail examination room.
Brooks’ family have said they want the public to see the horror video to see the “extreme” attack.
Family attorney Elizabeth Mazur said: “Mr. Brooks was fatally, violently beaten by a group of officers whose job was to keep him safe”.
In a statement the FBI said: “The FBI Albany Field Office and the Department of Justice are reviewing the facts and circumstances surrounding the death of Robert L. Brooks to determine the appropriate federal response.
“As this is an ongoing review, we are not able to comment further at this time.”
The state’s attorney general is investigating the officers’ use of force against Brooks.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said: “Like all New Yorkers, I was outraged and horrified after seeing footage of the senseless killing of Robert Brooks.
“Once again, I want to offer my deepest condolences to Mr. Brooks’ family and loved ones as they grieve his tragic death.
“I am grateful to the Attorney General and her team, our State Police, and everyone working with us to ensure justice is served in this case.”
Hochul added that she ordered an investigation into the death of Brooks.
She said that she has directed state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Commissioner Daniel Martuscello to “begin the termination process for the 14 individuals who were involved in his fatal attack.”
The footage, taken from four of the guards present during the December 9 beating, shows Brooks handcuffed and held down as he is punched in the face and stomped in the gut.
Other officers stand by and watch as the prisoner continues to be abused and blood begins to pour from his face during the 30-minute episode.
A guard appears to lift him by his neck and hold him in a choke hold to force him to sit up on the exam table, the video shows.
Brooks is forcibly stood up and held near a wall before he is returned to the table in his underwear and appears unconscious and limp.
Brooks, 43, was serving a 12-year sentence for assault, according to the New York Post.
Brooks was taken to Wynn Hospital in Utica and declared dead from “asphyxia due to compression of the neck,” in the early morning of December 10, Syracuse.com reported.
The shocking recording was made public by New York Attorney General Letitia James with the incident now under investigation.
At a press conference on Friday, James said: “My deepest condolences go out to Mr. Brooks’ family.
“I do not take lightly the release of this video especially in the middle of the holiday season.”
At Governor Kathy Hochul’s request Martuscello said he has began the process of firing the guards and had already suspended 13 without pay.
One guard has already resigned.