by A man died in Haverhill Friday after he “became unresponsive” as more than a half dozen police officers held him on the ground outside a local restaurant, according to officials and video accounts.
“He should be here with us right now,” Michelle Rooney, the man’s fiancée said,
per
The
Boston
Globe
. “He was not erratic, he was not violent. He was a very friendly person who would talk to anybody.”
Haverhill police responded to the area near 115 White St. Friday around 6:22 p.m. to reports of a man acting erratically, Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker said in a release Saturday.
Haverhill resident Francis Gigliotti, 43, died after the interaction with Haverhill police, officials announced in a follow-up statement Sunday evening.
Haverhill police said officers responded to reports that Gigliotti had “fallen on the floor when leaving the building, was running in the middle of the street and that he hit a car with his head then continued down White Street,” the statement read. “Video surveillance shows the male weaving in and out of traffic, nearly being struck several times by passing motorists.”
Gigliotti was allegedly behaving belligerently when officers arrived. Officers called an ambulance to assess his condition; Gigliotti then fled the scene and attempted to enter Bradford Seafood on Winter Street, according to officials.
Officers restrained Gigliotti during a struggle outside the restaurant “for safety purpose and for the safety of the surrounding public,” according to Tucker’s office. During the struggle, the man became unresponsive. The DA said emergency medical personnel arrived within moments and brought Gigliotti to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Videos: Eight officers hold Gigliotti down before he becomes unresponsive
In
videos
and
accounts
of the incident, up to eight police officers and first responders appeared to be holding Gigliotti down, who was yelling for help.
In one video, the person recording told police to be “easy with” him “because he got issues,” and a police officer replies “I know.”
“I don’t think it takes all you guys to hold homeboy down though,” the person taking the video says.
“We’re trying not to hurt him,” the officer says before another officer asks the person taking the video to take a step back.
In a video of the incident
posted to TikTok
, Gigliotti seems to lose consciousness when his cries for help cease. Some officers then take a step away, while others continue to restrain him.
A woman cries on the sidewalk in the video as EMS rush toward Gigliotti. First responders are seen giving him CPR outside the restaurant.
“You better bring him back,” the woman, who appears to be Rooney, cries. Someone else accuses the police of killing Gigliotti. The video ends before the man is transported to the hospital.
Gigliotti’s newly created roofing company characterized the incident as “an act of senseless and brutal force at the hands of Haverhill Police” in a tribute Saturday.
“Francis was kind, hardworking, loyal, and full of life. He had so much ahead of him, and he didn’t deserve this. None of this is okay,”
Teddy Bear Roofing wrote
. “He was pinned to the ground by eight officers while screaming that he couldn’t breathe. He begged for help. And they didn’t listen,” the roofing company said.
Latecia Torres, Gigliotti’s niece, told
The Boston Globe
that her uncle lived in Haverhill his whole life and “struggled with his mental health a lot.”
“My reaction watching the videos was that I was heartbroken, devastated, and angry because there were so many people on top of him,” Torres said. “There’s no way that’s protocol.”
Rooney and other family members demanded answers during a demonstration Sunday afternoon,
according to the
Globe
. Family, friends, and others marched from G.A.R Park to the police department and City Hall.
In a follow-up statement Sunday, the DA didn’t release any additional information about the incident itself, but said a full investigation into Gigliotti’s interactions with police is underway. Officials are asking members of the public who have videos or photos of the incident to upload them to an
online portal
to share with the Essex County DA.
Molly Farrar is a general assignment reporter for Boston.com, focusing on education, politics, crime, and more.
Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
