ROCHESTER, N.Y. — In a federal lawsuit filed on Wednesday, the son of an inmate who died following a severe beating delivered by prison guards in New York described the incident as a brutal attack by a system that permits violence to flourish. Robert L. Brooks Sr., aged 43, succumbed to his injuries on December 10, just a day after the incident at Marcy Correctional Facility located in upstate New York. Body camera footage reveals guards mercilessly punching and kicking Brooks while his hands were restrained behind him. The footage shows officers attacking him with a shoe and lifting him by the neck, dropping him to the ground, while other prison staff nearby appeared to show no concern for the violence taking place.
Brooks Jr. has named over a dozen guards involved in the assault, as well as the facility’s former superintendent and the commissioner of the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, in his lawsuit. At a news conference, he expressed his desire for his father’s name, Robert L. Brooks, to be remembered not only for the tragic circumstances of his death but for the person he was. Brooks Jr. conveyed feelings of helplessness and devastation as he recounted viewing the harrowing footage of the assault on his father.
The lawsuit, which seeks damages that have not been specifically quantified, claims that the prison personnel exerted excessive force and failed to attend to his father’s urgent medical needs. It also accuses the defendants of gross negligence and wrongful death. A request for comments was dispatched to the state’s corrections officials on Wednesday.
In response to Brooks Sr.’s death, New York’s attorney general has appointed a special prosecutor to oversee the investigation. Following the recusal of Attorney General Letitia James due to her office’s prior engagement with some of the involved officers in different civil matters, Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick stepped in as the special prosecutor for the case.
While the autopsy results of Robert L. Brooks Sr. have yet to be publicly disclosed, early assessments from a medical examination highlight potential asphyxiation from neck compression as a contributing factor to his death, implicating the actions of others. The lawsuit firmly posits that the beating was the primary cause of Brooks’ passing.
Additionally, the lawsuit references a report released by a watchdog organization in 2023, which revealed extensive abuse by staff at Marcy Correctional Facility based on interviews conducted with inmates in October 2022. The Correctional Association of New York reported numerous instances of physical violence occurring in unmonitored areas such as transportation vans, showers, and during transfers between gates. One guard allegedly warned a new inmate that the facility had a “hands-on” approach, indicating that violence was an expected part of the environment.
In the wake of the incident, Governor Kathy Hochul has mandated that state authorities begin the process of dismissing employees associated with the assault. Fifteen correctional officers and two nurses have been suspended without pay, while one officer resigned. Hochul has also appointed a new leader for the prison, situated 200 miles northwest of New York City.
