Crime

Unrelated Drug Arrest Suggests Man Who Died in Haverhill Custody May Have Used Crack Cocaine

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About an hour and half before Francis Gigliotti became unresponsive during, what was described as, a “struggle” early Friday night with seven Haverhill police officers, a police report suggests he may have been provided with illicit drugs. As of Monday, the man alleged to have provided the drugs to 43-year-old Gigliotti was not charged with doing so, but instead arrested Sunday in connection with a different, alleged drug deal in downtown Haverhill. The state medical examiner also has not yet publicly disclosed what caused Gigliotti’s death. A police report, made public during an unrelated matter Monday in Haverhill District Court, says Gigliotti met with a man wearing a “paintball face shield” and driving a black scooter stopped and gave him something that, the report continues, “is consistent with a hand-to-hand, street-level drug transaction.”

Police go on to report “witnesses from inside 116 White St. confirmed that Gigliotti smoked crack cocaine inside of the building during that time frame and began to freak out within seconds of smoking it.”

As a result, a report reads, police traced a similar scooter on Harrison Street to 43-year-old Joseph Hurley, sporting longer hair and the same type of neck tattoo seen during the alleged transaction with Gigliotti.

Gigliotti

Seven Haverhill Police Officers on Paid Leave After Death of Man in Custody; City Supports Body Cams

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The seven Haverhill police officers, who took part in what was described as a “struggle” early Friday night with a 43-year-old man who later died, are on paid administrative leave. Haverhill Police Chief Robert P. Pistone Jr. confirmed the action in an email response Monday to WHAV. While the chief said he cannot not elaborate until an investigation into circumstances surrounding the death of Francis Gigliotti is complete, administrative leaves are common following a tragedy, often to address potential mental health and wellness concerns. The names of all officers on scene Friday night were not released. Neither Pistone nor Mayor Melinda E. Barrett’s office said how the officers’ regular shifts are being covered.

Gigliotti

Demonstrators Call for Mental Health Training, Body Cams After Man Dies in Haverhill Police Custody

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(Additional photographs below.)

Protesters Sunday called for Haverhill police officers to be held accountable, take part in mental health training and wear body cameras, among other actions, in the aftermath of the death of 43-year-old Francis Gigliotti Friday night after being restrained by police. Gathering first at GAR Park and then in front of the Haverhill Police station, demonstrators alleged crimes were committed even as officials said an investigation is underway and a cause of death ruling is pending from the chief medical examiner. Shawn Rooney, whose sister Michelle was engaged to Gigliotti, spoke bluntly before the group at GAR Park, roughly across the street from the Haverhill Police station. “This was a murder on videotape, pure and simple,” he said. Rooney expressed skepticism of the investigation promised by Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker, contending the DA is influenced by his nearly 30-years as a police officer.

Gigliotti

Barrett Promises ‘Complete Transparency’ as Probe Begins into Death of Man in Police Custody

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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.

Gigliotti

Man Dies in Haverhill After Behaving ‘Erratically’ and in a ‘Belligerent Manner’

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Editor’s note: As is often the case in breaking news situation, this story, based on official statements, was released before citizen videos and other information emerged. A 43-year-old man is dead after, officials said, he was “behaving erratically” early Friday night on the outskirts of downtown Haverhill and then became unresponsive when police attempted to restrain him. According to a joint statement issued Saturday afternoon by Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker and Haverhill Police Chief Robert P. Pistone, police received a call just before 6:30 p.m., that the as-yet unnamed man had fallen while leaving a building on White Street near the intersection of Winter and Emerson Streets. They said the man then ran “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.