At least 13 dead as severe storms sweep through the Midwest

(NEW YORK) — Ten former prison guards were indicted for the killing of Robert Brooks, a prisoner incarcerated at the Marcy Correctional Facility in Marcy, New York, who was fatally beaten at the prison in December.

A grand jury indicted six officers — Nicholas Anzalone, David Kingsley, Anthony Farina, Christopher Walrath, Mathew Galliher and an unnamed defendant — on felony second degree murder and first degree manslaughter.

The nine defendants charged in the indictment appeared in court on Thursday and all pled not guilty to the charges brought against them. A tenth, unnamed defendant was unavailable to surrender on Thursday and is expected to be arraigned soon. He is not believed to be a flight risk.

The officers are accused of acting with other correctional officers in conduct that “created a grave risk of death to another person, and thereby caused the death of Robert Brooks,” according to a criminal indictment.

Brooks was transferred from the Mohawk Correctional Facility to the Marcy Correctional Facility on Dec. 9, 2024.

Excerpts of body-worn camera footage from four corrections officers were released Dec. 27 by the New York Attorney General’s Office showing the in-custody beating of the 43-year-old inmate.

In the footage reviewed by ABC News, multiple officers can be seen holding Brooks upright on an exam table, with his arms restrained, punching and kicking him in the face, torso and genitals. The beating was described in a deposition by an investigator for the New York Department of Corrections Office of Special Investigations.

Brooks was pronounced dead at a local hospital the day after the beating, according to New York Attorney General Letitia James, whose office is investigating the incident.

The deposition detailed that two sergeants and a nurse watched the attack and neglected to intervene. They were among the 14 prison staffers whom New York Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered to be terminated by the state.

The indictment Thursday said Brooks was allegedly assaulted on two occasions when he arrived at the infirmary by Anzalone, Walrath and the unnamed defendant — despite being restrained.

Upon arriving to the emergency room of the infirmary, Brooks was “restrained, beaten, choked, gagged, forcibly moved and kicked, all with minimal resistance on the part of Mr. Brooks and with no legitimate law enforcement purpose,” the indictment alleges.

Beating and assaults were carried out by the defendants while acting in concert together, the indictment said.

“In addition to the beatings, defendants with depraved indifference, did nothing to restrain each other, did nothing to stop the beatings and failed to immediately order medical assistance for Mr. Brooks,” the indictment said.

Brooks suffered injuries to his head, neck, hyoid bone, thyroid cartilage, torso, liver, spleen and testicles, his air passages were restricted and he chocked on his own blood, resulting in his death, according to the indictment.

Michael Mashaw, Michael Fisher and David Walters were indicted on felony second degree manslaughter. Nicholas Gentile was charged with tampering with physical evidence.

Walrath and the unnamed defendant were also indicted on felony second degree gang assault.

Mashaw, who was the ranking corrections officer in the infirmary, is accused in the indictment of failing to order the beatings to stop and not getting Brooks medical assistance until it was too late to save him.

Fisher and Walters are accused of having a clear line of sight to Brooks, but failing to attempt to stop the beatings or shield him. Walters also allegedly instructed a nurse no not enter the emergency room where Brooks was, the indictment said.

Anzalone and the unnamed defendant are accused of offering a false statement with intent to defraud the state. They wrongfully reported that all force against Brooks ceased when he entered the emergency room of the infirmary, the indictment alleges. The defendants were not aware that their actions were being recorded, according to the indictment.

“Nothing can bring him back to us. Nothing can return to us what these men have taken away. Still, these indictments are a necessary and important step toward accountability. These men killed my father, on camera. All the world could see what happened. Waiting for these charges has been incredibly hard,” Robert Brooks, Jr., the son of Brooks, said in a statement Thursday.

“These men must be fully prosecuted and convicted for what they have done. But even the convictions of these corrections officers for the murder of my father will not be enough. Every person in authority who allowed this system of violence and abuse to exist and continue for so long must also be held accountable,” he said.

The New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association issued a statement in December reading, “What we witnessed is incomprehensible to say the least and is certainly not reflective of the great work that the vast majority of our membership conducts every day… This incident has the potential to make our correctional facilities even more violent, hostile, and unpredictable than ever before.”

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — A major cross-country storm is moving east, bringing severe thunderstorms to the South on Mardi Gras Day before heading to the East Coast on Wednesday.

More than 400,000 customers lost power in Texas on Tuesday morning.

Damage was reported in Irving, Texas, near Dallas, and winds gusted to 62 mph near Abilene, Texas, as the storm blew through in the morning.

In Oklahoma, residents woke up to a tornado, wind gusts over 80 mph and flash flooding.

Now, the storm moves east, with a severe thunderstorm watch in effect for Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma until 11 a.m. local time. A tornado watch extends south through Arkansas, northern Louisiana and eastern Texas though 3 p.m. local time.

On Tuesday afternoon, the severe thunderstorms will reach Jackson, Mississippi, and New Orleans as Mardi Gras celebrations culminate in a final day of festivities on Fat Tuesday. Parades in the area have been canceled or moved earlier due to the weather.

Tornadoes and damaging winds will be the biggest threat, but flash flooding is also possible.

The thunderstorms will hit Alabama after 8 p.m. and then Atlanta overnight.

By Wednesday, the storm system will move to the East Coast, bringing heavy rain and damaging winds from Georgia to New York.

Tornadoes are possible in the Carolinas and southern Virginia.

Meanwhile, a blizzard warning is in effect for six states from Colorado to Minnesota, where a combination of snow and gusty winds could create dangerous whiteout conditions on the roads.

A winter storm warning was issued for Wisconsin and Michigan, where some areas could see up to 1 to 2 feet of snow from Tuesday through Wednesday evening.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — The state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter is an attractive target “for violent extremists to attack,” especially after the vehicle ramming in New Orleans that killed 14 people, though there are no known threats to the funeral, according to a new security assessment obtained by ABC News.

“State funerals are considered no-notice events that significantly reduce planning timelines for potential hostile actors,” the document said. “However, state funerals still present attractive targets due to the large gathering of senior US government officials, foreign dignitaries, and heads of state, as well as the symbolic nature of the venues and media attention expected.”

Carter, who died on Dec. 29 at the age of 100, will be honored with a state funeral at Washington National Cathedral on Thursday. President Joe Biden will deliver a eulogy and President-elect Donald Trump is expected to attend.

The memorials for Carter begin on Saturday when he’s transferred from his hometown of Plains, Georgia, to Atlanta. A ceremony will be held at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta on Saturday afternoon.

Carter’s remains will be transferred to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday and he will lie in state at the Capitol from Tuesday to Thursday. After the service at Washington National Cathedral, Carter’s remains will return to Plains.

The assessment also noted other specially designated security events this month, including the certification of the Electoral College on Jan. 6 and Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20. The simultaneous events “may increase the perception of a target-rich environment for a variety of threat actors,” the document said.

“Targets could include the planned special events and ceremonies related to the State Funeral and associated First Amendment-protected activities around these ceremonies,” the assessment said. “While there is no indication that the intersection of these two events will lead to an increased threat picture, the potentially large crowds for both may provide an attractive target to threat actors.”

The document also specifically mentioned the New Year’s attack in New Orleans, noting “the use of vehicle-ramming alone or in conjunction with other tactics has become a recurring tactic employed by violent threat actors in the West.”

The document added that “large crowds gathering in publicly accessible locations to observe or participate in State Funeral events could become targets of opportunity for a vehicle attack.”

Fourteen people were killed and dozens were hurt when a man drove a truck through crowds on Bourbon Street early on New Year’s Day. The suspect, who also died in the attack, posted several videos online “proclaiming his support for ISIS,” and mentioning he joined ISIS before this summer, according to the FBI.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.