CNN - What experts see in the ‘shocking and disturbing’ video of New York man’s fatal beating in prison

By Zoe Sottile and Emma Tucker, CNN

Updated 7:52 AM EST, Mon December 30, 2024

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‘Inhumane’ and ‘unnecessary’ use of force
Several law enforcement experts who spoke to CNN criticized the corrections officers’ use of force shown in the footage.

Brooks, 43, seemed to be compliant with officers and not posing a threat as officers beat him, making the use of force potentially excessive under the law, according to Bryce Peterson, an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a senior research scientist at the Center for Justice Research and Innovation.

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“Just because someone is handcuffed does not mean they cannot be subjected to force,” Peterson told CNN Friday. “However – and this is a big however – if someone is no longer a direct threat to the officers and is complying with instructions, it would certainly be excessive to strike them, choke them, etc.”

From the body camera footage, it is unclear what led up to the beating or why Brooks was taken into a medical examination room by officers as the footage first shows Brooks face down and handcuffed as three officers carry him into the facility.

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Peterson said potential excessive use of force is “particularly” evident “when officers are cleaning blood off Mr. Brooks’ face and then begin to strike him and continue to strike and grab him for the next 30 seconds.”

Prosecutors could consider a range of charges, said Peterson, similar to the range of state and federal murder charges against four officers in the 2020 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, which included a charge of murder against the lead officer, as well as abetting manslaughter, failing to stop unreasonable force and deprivation of civil rights for the other officers at the scene.

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