What we know — and don't — about a Haverhill man's death after a run-in with police
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TODAY'S STARTING POINT
Last Friday evening, several Haverhill police officers piled atop Francis Gigliotti outside a local restaurant, restraining him as he cried out for help. Gigliotti, 43, became unresponsive during the struggle and
Gigliotti's death has prompted protests and calls for accountability. This week, Haverhill police
What happened?
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Much of what we know so far has come from eyewitnesses or the district attorney's office in Essex County, which includes Haverhill.
Michelle Rooney, Gigliotti's fiancée,
that she got a panicked call from Gigliotti asking her to come to Bradford Seafood, a neighborhood restaurant. 'They gonna kill me,' he said, according to Rooney. When she arrived
One of Gigliotti's nieces
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What started it?
In a statement Saturday, an Essex DA spokesman said police got a call about a man '
When police arrived, the DA's statement continues, Gigliotti fled and tried to go inside Bradford Seafood. The owner claims that Gigliotti was '
What don't we know?
A lot, including how Gigliotti died. Haverhill police said yesterday that officers had arrested Joseph Hurley, 43,
Whether Gigliotti was experiencing a mental health crisis is another question mark. Friends and family say he had depression, had lost his mother and brother, and at some point had been hit by a bus. But Gigliotti had recently started a roofing company and 'was just getting his life back together,' a niece told
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Others appear to have known Gigliotti struggled, too. Jacques, the bystander, can be heard in the cell phone video he recorded telling police to 'be easy' with Gigliotti because 'he got issues.' One officer looks up and seems to say 'Yes, I know.' The DA's office didn't respond when asked whether police knew of Gigliotti or his mental health challenges beforehand.
The police department also has a behavioral health clinician and a social worker
What's next?
The investigation is ongoing. The district attorney plans to interview the suspended officers and witnesses and has invited people to
The incident has also rippled through Haverhill. Residents protested on Sunday, accusing police of excessive force. Others left candles and chalk-written messages honoring Gigliotti outside the restaurant. And some now fear for their own loved ones.
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'He was in a mental health state. You don't jump on him and hold him down like that,' Linda Rose,
the witness who tried to intervene and has three sons who live nearby, told the Globe through tears. 'It could have been one of my boys.'
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At the beach:
Governor Healey is pushing a measure that could redefine
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Andrea Gibson, a spoken-word artist born in Maine, wrote poignantly about her gender identity and having terminal cancer.
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