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Robert Brooks: New York Governor Orders Firing of Prison Staff Involved in Fatal Beating of Inmate

Robert Brooks: New York Governor Orders Firing of Prison Staff Involved in Fatal Beating of Inmate


new York
P.A.

New York State’s governor has ordered the firing of more than a dozen prison staff following the fatal beating of an inmate earlier this month.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement Saturday that she has ordered the commissioner of the state Department of Corrections to begin the process of firing the 14 workers involved in the deadly attack at the Marcy Correctional Facility.

Robert Brooks died Dec. 10 after an encounter with police the day before at the Oneida County jail.

Hochul’s office did not provide details on the circumstances leading to the death, but said its decision followed an internal review.

“The vast majority of correctional officers do extraordinary work under difficult circumstances, and we are all grateful for their service,” the Democrat said in a statement. “But we have no tolerance for individuals who cross lines, break the law and engage in unnecessary violence or targeted abuse. »

Governor Kathy Hochul

The Corrections Department provided a list Saturday of 13 employees, including correctional officers, sergeants and a nurse, who were suspended without pay as well as another correctional officer who resigned.

But the agency declined to provide further details about the incident, saying only that Brooks was pronounced dead at a Utica hospital early on the morning of Dec. 10.

The 43-year-old man had been serving a 12-year prison sentence for first-degree assault since 2017, according to the department.

State Department of Corrections Commissioner Daniel Martuscello III also denounced the staff’s actions and said the suspensions were “in the best interest of the agency and the communities we serve.”

“There is no place for brutality in our department and we will vigorously pursue justice against the individuals who committed this senseless act,” he said in an emailed statement. “These investigations are ongoing and additional suspensions may be issued.”

The union representing correctional officers did not immediately comment.

Brooks’ family said in a statement from their attorney that they were “incredibly shocked and saddened” by the death, according to The Times-Union in Albanywho was the first to report the death.

“We are grateful that Governor Hochul is taking swift action to hold the officers accountable, but we cannot understand how this could have happened in the first place,” the family said in its statement, according to the newspaper. “No one should have to lose a family member like this. »

State Attorney General Letitia James said her office is also investigating the use of force by corrections officers that led to the death.

The Democrat said her team had obtained video of the incident and would make it public once Brooks’ family viewed it.

“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,” James said in a statement.