Source: New York Attorney General’s Office
The New York prison officers who are shown ruthlessly beating to death an incarcerated Black man who was handcuffed and strapped face-down on a gurney earlier this month have not been arrested more than two weeks after the fatal incident.
The video footage of Robert Brooks being fatally beaten was made public on Friday by the New York Attorney General’s Office nearly three weeks after the incident at the Marcy Correctional Facility in Oneida County on Dec. 10.
The New York Times reported that the 12 people involved are “facing termination.” But as of Friday, Sgts. Michael Mashaw and Glenn Trombly, Officers Matthew Galliher, Nicholas Anzalone, David Kingsley, Robert Kessler, Michael Fisher, Christopher Walrath, Michael Along, Shea Schoff and David Walters along with nurse Kyle Dashnaw have not only remained gainfully employed but also free of any criminal charges for their alleged actions.
All of the prison officers involved are white men.
It was not immediately clear why the beating took place.
New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office released eight separate videos from the incident recorded from the officers’ body cameras. They are explicit and graphic in nature and can be viewed by clicking here.
Leaders in New York state condemned the prison officers and called for there to be justice for Brooks’ death.
The Rev. Al Sharpton compared the video footage of Brooks to the police killings of George Floyd and Tyre Nichols.
“These officers clearly thought they were within their right to hit Brooks in the stomach with the heel of a boot, level punches at his face or torso, and throw him around like a ragdoll—all with his hands behind his back,” Sharpton said in a statement sent to NewsOne. “They were wrong. It is disturbing that some of them had the sense to smile and smirk while a human being was forced against a wall by three officers just a few feet away. Their actions in this tape not only justify their firing but should merit appropriate criminal charges.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she was “outraged and horrified” and called Brooks’ death “senseless.”
Hochul also said she “ordered a full investigation” and ordered the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision “to begin the termination process.”
The New York Times offered an explanation for why the suspects were not immediately fired and reported that the state’s police union expressed doubt about the footage:
Unless those accused of participating in the attack are criminally charged, arbitration and union rules could make it difficult to fire them. The union that represents corrections employees said in a statement that it would fulfill its obligation “to represent all of its members,” but it strongly condemned what the 14 are accused of doing.
The union, the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association, noted in the statement that members of its executive board had seen footage of a small portion of the attack.
“What we witnessed is incomprehensible to say the least and is certainly not reflective of the great work that the vast majority of our membership conducts every day,” the union said, adding, “We cannot and will not condone this behavior.”
Brooks was being transported when he was attacked.
It was unclear why he was being transported.
This is a developing story that will be updated as additional information becomes available.
The incident involving Brooks is similar to what happened to Ronald Greene, a Black man who died in police custody after being brutally assaulted and tased during his arrest following a traffic stop in 2019. Initially, police blamed Greene’s death on a car crash until body camera footage from the brutal attack showed officers beating Greene as he screamed for help.
Five officers were indicted and charged with a host of charges ranging from negligent homicide to obstruction and malfeasance. During court proceedings, the officers denied any wrongdoing while Greene’s family called for justice in his death.
In 2021, Ronald Greene’s family lawyer civil rights attorney S. Lee Merritt, shared bodycam footage of a supervisor arriving at the scene on the night of May 10, 2019, encouraging the officers by telling them “they did a good job” while they electrocuted, beat and dragged the 49-year-old Black man to his death outside of the city of Monroe.
That video’s release came about a week after the Associated Press obtained a 46-minute clip and released the bodycam footage to the public.
This is America.
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