New York’s governor orders firing of prison staffers involved in inmate’s fatal beating

By PHILIP MARCELO The Associated Press

FILE - New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks at a press conference in the Queens borough of New York, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Julia Demaree Nikhinson]

NEW YORK (AP) — New York’s governor has ordered more than a dozen prison staffers to be fired over the fatal beating of an inmate earlier this month.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement Saturday that she has directed the state’s corrections department commissioner to begin the process of terminating 14 workers involved in the fatal attack at the Marcy Correctional Facility.

Robert Brooks died on Dec. 10 after an encounter with officers the day earlier at the prison located in Oneida County.

Hochul’s office didn’t elaborate on the circumstances leading up to the death but said her decision comes after an internal review.

“The vast majority of correction 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 the line, break the law and engage in unnecessary violence or targeted abuse.”

The corrections department on Saturday provided a list of 13 employees, including correctional officers, sergeants and a nurse, who have been suspended without pay as well as another correctional officer who has resigned.

But the agency declined to provide more details about the incident other than to say that Brooks was pronounced dead at a hospital in Utica in the early morning hours on Dec. 10.

The 43-year-old 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 staffers’ actions and said the suspensions are “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 labor union representing correctional officers didn’t immediately comment.

Brooks’ family said in a statement from their lawyer that they are “incredibly shocked and saddened” about the death, according to The Times-Union in Albany, which first reported the death.

“We are grateful that Gov. Hochul is taking swift action to hold 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 this way.”

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

The Democrat said her staff has obtained video of the incident and will make it public after Brooks’ family has 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.