HAVERHILL, Mass. — A man was arrested for allegedly selling drugs to Francis Gigliotti hours before his deadly encounter with police outside a Haverhill seafood restaurant on Friday night.
Joseph Hurley was charged on July 14 with distribution of a Class B substance.
According to a Haverhill Police report, Gigliotti was seen buying drugs from a man dressed in all black riding a scooter on White Street around 5 p.m.
The man riding the scooter is seen reaching into his mouth and pulling something out before handing it to Gigliotti, according to the report.
The detective noted that the two men’s encounter “is less than 20 seconds and is consistent with a hand to hand, street level drug transaction.”
Investigators also wrote in their report that during this time, Gigliotti “does not appear to be in a crisis, visibly intoxicated or unable to care for himself.”
About an hour later at approximately 6:17 p.m., police say Gigliotti was seen falling from the steps of 116 White Street and appeared to strike his face and head on the sidewalk and against a parked car.
Witnesses inside the residence allegedly told police Gigliotti had smoked crack cocaine inside the building and began “to freak out.”
A short time later, he died after a struggle with police outside of Bradford Seafood.
That incident remains under active investigation. Since then, seven Haverhill officers have been placed on paid administrative leave.
Following the incident, police focused on the who the man in the black scooter was who allegedly sold Gigliotti drugs.
After an extensive investigation, officers talked to a man who claimed to buy drugs from Hurley.
Hurley’s physical attributes allegedly matched that of the man on the scooter.
He was taken into custody shortly thereafter at an assisted living facility for seniors on Water Street.
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