Fatal beating of Black inmate in New York draws probes, outrage

• Brooks was pronounced dead in Wing Hospital in Utica, New York, the day after the Dec. 9 attack, officials said.

Catch up quick: In the footage from four officers, the 43-year-old Brooks is seen exiting a prison transport van and entering a medical exam room with prison staff at Marcy Correctional Facility in Marcy, N.Y.

• Brooks is shown with his hands cuffed behind his back as several corrections officers, who all appear to be white, take turns beating him.
• James said during a Friday video statement that none of the corrections officers had activated their body cams, so videos have no sound.

State of play: The death of Brooks comes more than four years after the murder of George Floyd prompted a racial reckoning and demands for reform in how law enforcement interacts in communities of color.

• Federal police reforms died amid political bickering in a divided Congress and momentum for reforms halted amid rising crime during the pandemic.
• President Biden bought back pattern and practice investigations into police departments — something President-elect Trump halted during his first term. However, none of the dozen probes have led to any reform agreements.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Saturday she ordered a full investigation into the death of Brooks and asked officials to begin the process of firing 14 people involved in the attack.

• "Like all New Yorkers, I was outraged and horrified after seeing footage of the senseless killing of Robert Brooks," she said in a statement.
• "The State of New York has zero tolerance for individuals who break the law, and I am committed to holding everyone involved fully accountable."

• James said her office also has opened an investigation.

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

Context: Brooks had been serving a 12-year prison sentence for first-degree assault since 2017, according to the corrections department.

• He was transferred from Mohawk Correctional Facility to Marcy Correctional Facility, both in Oneida County.
• It's not known why he was handcuffed, what prompted the attack or what was said during the beating.

What we're hearing: Civil rights and advocacy groups are planning demonstrations around New York in reaction to the Brooks case. One is scheduled for Monday outside the New York State Governor's Mansion.

• Activists say that his death is part of a larger culture of violence within the New York Department of Corrections.
• "Robert Brooks is the latest victim of a system that continues to fail," Ana María Archila and Jasmine Grippe, co-directors of the New York Working Families Party, said in a statement.