HAVERHILL, Mass. — The Essex County District Attorney’s office has announced a full investigation into the death of a 43-year-old man, who died after a struggle with police officers in Haverhill on Friday night.
Francis Gigliotti was pronounced dead at the hospital following an encounter with police outside Bradford Seafood.
The incident was captured on cell phone video, and family and friends gathered Sunday to protest peacefully, demanding justice and change at the Haverhill Police Department.
“We are his voice, everybody here is his support,” said Latecia Torres, Gigliotti’s niece, “and they need to hear that we’re not letting this go silent.”
Michele Rooney, Gigliotti’s fiancée, described a phone call with him moments before the incident, saying, “He said ‘come get me ... they’re going to kill me.”
Rooney recounted arriving at the scene to find multiple officers on top of Gigliotti.
“When I got there, there was seven or eight cops on top of him and he’s yelling ‘help me, I can’t breathe,’ and then he just went limp and he was blue,” explained Rooney.
The protest, which took place outside the Haverhill Police Department and City Hall, was attended by grieving family and friends of Gigliotti. They described him as a family man and a kind-hearted individual.
“He was a good man, a good friend, good stepfather, good son, good uncle, everyone loved him.”
“People don’t deserve this, this can’t go on like this,” said Muriel Enos, Gigliotti’s aunt, “we need justice, we are seeking legal action.”
During Sunday’s protest, Gigliotti’s family mentioned his struggles with mental health.
“Francis did have a lot of mental health issues and just needed help,” said Dynisa Gonzalez, a friend of Francis.
The investigation by the Essex County D.A.’s office aims to interview all officers involved and conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of Gigliotti’s death.
Investigators also say that they will be collecting and reviewing all city camera footage and publicly available videos.
In a statement from Haverhill Mayor Melinda Barrett, she explained that at this time, Haverhill Police Officers do not wear body cameras.
<i>“At this time the Haverhill Police do not currently have body worn cameras. However, establishing this program within the Haverhill Police Department has been a goal of mine and Chief Pistone’s. The Superior Officers have agreed to this in recent contract negotiations and we are actively seeking the same agreement with our patrol officers in their contract.”</i>
— Haverhill Mayor Melinda E. Barrett
The D.A.’s office asks anyone with any pictures or videos of the incident to upload them using this link.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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