Video Shows Prison Officers’ Fatal Assault of Inmate in ‘Shocking’ Detail

Corrections officers punched and kicked a handcuffed, shackled inmate in the groin and chest during a fatal attack at a prison in central New York this month, video footage released publicly on Friday shows.

The footage was recorded by body cameras worn by four of the officers. It was made public by Letitia James, the state attorney general, as part of her office’s investigation into the death of the man, Robert Brooks, and the beating that preceded it.

Among other things, the videos show one corrections officer using a booted foot to kick Mr. Brooks, whose face is bloodied, and then force him onto his back on an infirmary examination table while another officer punches Mr. Brooks in the upper body.

Ms. James said that the eight videos her office released depicted “shocking and disturbing” behavior.

“I do not take lightly the release of this video, especially in the middle of the holiday season,” she said during an online presentation. “But as the attorney general I release these videos because I have a responsibility and duty to provide the Brooks family, their loved ones and all New Yorkers with transparency and accountability.”