Haverhill Mayor Melinda E. Barrett is calling for calm and promising a full detailing of the facts surrounding the death of a 43-year-old man who died Friday night while being restrained by Haverhill police officers.
Barrett, who is the first official to formally release the name of Francis Gigliotti, issued the statement Saturday night as posters on social media compared the manner of Gigliotti’s death to that of George Floyd, whose 2020 death murder while in police custody in Minneapolis was ruled a murder.
“I want to offer my condolences to the family of Francis Gigliotti and assure our community that I am closely monitoring the circumstances around his tragic death. The district attorney’s office is investigating. I promise complete transparency to our community and ask that everyone remain patient and calm as this investigation ensues and more information is made available.”
In a joint statement issued earlier Saturday afternoon, Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker and Haverhill Police Chief Robert P. Pistone said Gigliotti “became unresponsive” during, what they described as, “a struggle” with a group of police officers that held him outside of a Winter Street restaurant. They said police were called Friday, just before 6:30 p.m., after receiving a report of a man “running in the middle of the street and that he hit a car with his head then continued down White Street.”
“Video surveillance shows the male weaving in and out of traffic, nearly being struck several times by passing motorists,” the statement reads. Responding police officers report they witnessed the man “behaving in a belligerent manner” and summonsed an ambulance to assess him.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is expected to rule on the cause of Gigliotti’s death. The resulting report may shed light on the reason the man was running in the street in the first place and whether he suffered any earlier injuries when, as police said, he struck his head on a car.
Saturday’s first official statement made no mention of mental health issues, but some of those who saw two bystander videos of police holding Gigliotti argued police should have handled the matter differently. During one of the videos, a person is heard to tell police, “You be easy with that boy, he’s got issues,” as Gigliotti screamed for help.
One video was shared by Gigliotti’s niece, Leti Torres, who said a peaceful protest will take place today at 1 p.m., at GAR park in downtown Haverhill. “Stand up with us! Help us be his voice!” she urged.
A post by Teddy Bear Roofing said Gigliotti was a “co-founder, teammate, and beloved friend.”
This is a developing story. Stay with 97.9 WHAV for further reports.