The New York State Attorney General has assigned a special prosecutor to look into the death of Robert Brooks.
Brooks had been incarcerated at Mohawk Correctional Facility and was transferred to Marcy on Dec. 9.
Bodycam footage showed Brooks being beaten and assaulted by officers until he fell unconscious. He was transferred to Wynn Hospital and died on Dec. 10.
Attorney General Letitia James announced the appointment on Jan. 2 after finding a conflict of interest in a video address.
Advertisement
Advertisement
James has appointed Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick.
“After much consideration, research, and review, my office decided to recuse itself from the investigation of the correction officers involved in the events preceding the death of Mr. Robert Brooks at Marcy Correctional Facility in Oneida County,” James said in a statement. “This decision is not one that was made lightly, but we believe this is the best course of action to protect the integrity of the investigation and to ensure accountability and justice for Mr. Brooks, his family, friends, loved ones, and for all New Yorkers.”
James describes Internal conflict check
This decision was made after the Office of Special Investigation conducted an internal conflict check and found that four of the 14 involved are currently under investigation and being represented by lawyers in the Office of the Attorney General.
“While we are confident in the firewalls set up between the Division of State Counsel and the Office of Special Investigation, even the possibility or mere appearance of a conflict could tie up a potential prosecution in lengthy legal challenges or get a potential prosecution outright dismissed,” James said. “And I will not allow justice to be delayed or denied because of a conflict.”
Advertisement
Advertisement
James lauded Fitzpatrick, saying he has served Onondaga County for 30 years and has an office with resources to handle the complexities and scale of the investigation.
Additionally, James said her office’s Division of State Counsel will not represent the Department of Corrections and/or its officers in this investigation.
“My Office of Special Investigation will hand over all records to the District Attorney’s office immediately,” she said. “It is critically important that justice is served. This decision ensures that it will be.”
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: New York AG assigns special prosecutor to Robert Brooks case
EMEA Tribune is not involved in this news article, it is taken from our partners and or from the News Agencies. Copyright and Credit go to the News Agencies, email news@emeatribune.com Follow our WhatsApp verified Channel
