Special prosecutor appointed in death of man beaten by New York corrections officers

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York's attorney general appointed a special prosecutor Thursday to investigate the death of a man who was beaten by guards at a state prison, saying her office cannot oversee the inquiry because it was already representing some of the corrections officials involved in civil lawsuits.

Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, chose the Republican district attorney in Onondaga County, William Fitzpatrick, to investigate the Dec. 10 death of Robert Brooks.

The attorney general typically investigates the deaths of people in the custody of law enforcement, but James said four of the officers under investigation were already being represented by lawyers in her office. Some of the guards have previously been defendants in brutality lawsuits filed by other prisoners.

“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 in a video message. “And I will not allow justice to be delayed or denied because of a conflict.”

Recently released body camera video shows officers punching Brooks while he was handcuffed on a medical examination table at Marcy Correctional Facility on Dec. 9. One officer uses a shoe to strike Brooks in the stomach, and another yanks him up by his neck and drops him back on the table.

Brooks was pronounced dead the following morning.

Fitzpatrick has been the top prosecutor in the Syracuse area since 1992. His office released a statement saying he would not comment “until the grand jury has taken action.”

The beating has prompted widespread condemnation and calls for reform. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who said she was “outraged and horrified” by the videos, appointed a new superintendent for the prison. She also ordered state officials to initiate proceedings to fire 13 correctional officers and a nurse implicated in the attack.

Now that a special prosecutor has been appointed, Hochul said, she expects his team will work quickly to bring charges.

“The video of this horrific attack demonstrates that crimes clearly were committed, and I believe initial charges can be brought even as more serious charges are considered based on further investigation,” said Hochul, who as governor has no authority over the special prosecutor or to bring criminal charges herself.

The final results of Brooks’ autopsy are not available. Preliminary findings from a medical examination indicate “concern for asphyxia due to compression of the neck as the cause of death, as well as the death being due to actions of another,” according to court filings.

Brooks, who was serving a 12-year prison sentence for first-degree assault since 2017, arrived at the prison 200 miles (320 kilometers) northwest of New York City only hours before the beating after being transferred from another nearby facility, officials said.

FILE — Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick speaks during a news in Syracuse, N.Y., Feb. 21, 2019. (AP Photo/Nick Lisi, File)

FILE - This image provided by the New York State Attorney General office shows body camera footage of correction officers beating a handcuffed man, Robert Brooks, 43, at the Marcy Correctional Facility in Oneida County, N.Y., on Dec. 9, 2024. (New York State Attorney General office via AP, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumer sentiment fell slightly in May for the fifth straight month, surprising economists, as Americans increasingly worry that President Donald Trump’s trade war will worsen inflation.

The preliminary reading of the University of Michigan’s closely watched consumer sentiment index, released Friday, declined 2.7% on a monthly basis to 50.8, the lowest since June 2022. Since January, sentiment has tumbled nearly 30%.

Americans have largely taken a sour view about where the economy is headed in the wake of the Trump administration’s imposition of huge import duties, which threaten to slow growth and push up prices. In recent weeks, the White House has pulled back on its most draconian policies, though average duties are still high by historical standards.

Consumers are increasingly worried about rising inflation. The Michigan survey found that over the next 12 months, consumers expect inflation to jump to 7.3%, the highest since 1981 and up from an expectation of 6.5% last month. Over the next five years, they foresee inflation reaching 4.6%, the highest since 1991, up from 4.4% last month.

Those expectations typically run higher than actual inflation, which last month ticked down to 2.3%, the lowest level in more than four years. Still, economists and the Federal Reserve closely watch inflation expectations, because they can become self-fulfilling. If people are worried inflation will accelerate, they may take steps, such as demanding higher pay, that can push up prices.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has said the Michigan inflation expectation numbers are an “outlier,” but their steady rise could make it less likely the Fed will cut its key interest rate anytime soon.

Trump had slapped 145% tariffs on all imports from China, a move that effectively suspended trade with the United States’ third-largest trading partner in goods. But on Monday, the two countries said they had reached a deal that would lower U.S. tariffs to 30%, while China would cut its duties on U.S. exports to 10% from 125%.

The survey was taken between April 22 and May 13, which includes just two days after the China tariffs were reduced.

Yet on Thursday Walmart said it had started to lift prices in response to the tariffs and will do so even more in June and July just as families gear up the back-to-school season. The company counts 90% of the U.S. population as customers and price hikes at the nation's largest retailer may start to sink in with Americans who have already been buffeted by post-pandemic inflation.

FILE - A motorist fills up the tank of a vehicle at a Costco gasoline station late Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, in Sheridan, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Shoppers consider a large-screen television with the help of a sales associate in a Costco warehouse Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Sheridan, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)