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The New York attorney general released video footage on Friday showing that correctional officers beat Robert Brooks at Marcy Correctional Facility hours before he was pronounced dead. The video recordings were reviewed by the office and by Brooks’ family before they were released.

New York Attorney General Letitia James opened an investigation into the matter on December 16 through the Office of Special Investigation (OSI). On December 21, James said that “law enforcement professionals must be held to the highest standards of accountability, and [she is] committed to providing New Yorkers with the transparency they deserve.”

Brooks was serving a 12-year sentence for first-degree assault since 2017. He had been transferred to Marcy Correctional Facility from Mohawk Correctional Facility on the same day as the attack. The videos were recorded by the body cameras worn by the officers. Brooks was handcuffed when he was taken to a medical examination room and beat up. He appeared to have lost consciousness after several minutes of continued physical abuse. Brooks was pronounced dead at a local hospital in the early hours of December 10, 2024, following the attack on the night of December 9.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul ordered the termination of the 14 officers involved and an investigation into the matter following the release of the video footage. She stated that “it is the responsibility of the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision to provide appropriate care and protection for those in its custody, and [she] will not tolerate anyone who violates that responsibility.”

National Action Network President Rev. Al Sharpton responded to the videos, stating:

[T]he footage of Robert Brooks’ death is as horrifying as what we saw when George Floyd, Tyre Nichols, and countless other Black men and women have been killed by law enforcement … I and the National Action Network want to thank New York State’s leaders for their swift action to address this heinous murder … My hope is that the criminal justice system will see this case through and ensure justice for Robert Brooks and his loved ones.

Investigation of the case is still ongoing, and it has not yet been put before a court.