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Boston Globe
7 days ago
- Boston Globe
What we know — and don't — about a Haverhill man's death after a run-in with police
Write to us at . To subscribe, . 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? Advertisement 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 Advertisement 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 Advertisement 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. Advertisement '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.' 🧩 2 Down: 92° POINTS OF INTEREST A firefighter tested the third rail for activity after MBTA passengers evacuated a Blue Line train that lost power underground on Tuesday. Wadehey Stranded: A downed wire on the track forced hundreds of Blue Line passengers to evacuate on foot Sweltering: Boston Mayor Michelle Wu Rejected: Kelly Ayotte, New Hampshire's GOP governor, vetoed Republican-backed bills that would have Karen Read: A Dracut woman who sat on the federal grand jury that investigated the state's handling of Read's murder case At the beach: Governor Healey is pushing a measure that could redefine Bureaucratic hassle: Massachusetts' paid family leave law was supposed to help new parents. Higher costs: Inflation picked up last month as President Trump's tariffs began to raise prices on consumer goods. The annual rate is now 2.7 percent, the highest since February. ( Advertisement Retribution: Trump accused Senator Adam Schiff, a California Democrat who led Trump's first impeachment, of possible mortgage fraud and said he needed to be 'brought to justice.' Schiff called it a smear. ( Jeffrey Epstein: House Republicans blocked a Democratic attempt to force the Trump administration to release documents related to the wealthy sex offender. Later, House Speaker Mike Johnson broke with the administration and called for the files' release. ( Immigration: Federal prosecutors have charged more than 100 people in Massachusetts BESIDE THE POINT 📺 Emmy nods: The mind-bending 'Severance' 🦖 Buried treasure: A Denver science museum discovered 67.5-million-year-old dinosaur fossils — under its parking lot. ( ❤️ Love Letters: Their biggest problem has always been in the bedroom. 🐜 Coexist: In the rainforests of Fiji, rival ant colonies cohabitate inside tree-growing tubers thanks to their apartment-like internal geometry. ( 📚 Book talk: Hear Gary Shteyngart discuss his new novel at Brattle Theater next Thursday, and ❓ Bad sign: This mysterious Spanish road sign — an empty white circle with a red border — is confusing some locals and costing foreigners over $200. Here's what it means. ( Advertisement 🪦 RIP: Andrea Gibson, a spoken-word artist born in Maine, wrote poignantly about her gender identity and having terminal cancer. Thanks for reading Starting Point. This newsletter was edited by ❓ Have a question for the team? Email us at ✍🏼 If someone sent you this newsletter, you can 📬 Delivered Monday through Friday. Ian Prasad Philbrick can be reached at
Metro
15-07-2025
- Metro
Seven officers investigated after man 'in crisis' dies during Boston arrest
Seven police officers are being investigated after a man they restrained outside of a Boston-area fish market died. The officers handcuffed Francis Gigliotti, 43, near Bradford Seafood restaurant in Havervill on Friday night. Gigliotti was captured on CCTV walking onto the middle of White Street and into traffic. The footage obtained by NBC10 Boston showed Gigliotti appearing to fall while exiting a store and hitting his head on a car. The restaurant owner said Gigliotti was acting out of control, but some witnesses who recorded the incident on their cell phones said the officers restraining him were using too much force. Gigliotti became unresponsive during the scuffle and was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His fiancée, Michele Rooney, said he was having a mental health crisis and was not carrying any weapons. 'Eyewitnesses say more than six officers restrained him—piling on top of him—while he screamed out for help and ultimately stopped breathing,' Rooney wrote in a GoFundMe page for Gigliotti's funeral expenses. 'I am completely devastated. Francis should still be here.' Rooney told NBC10 that witnesses who were videotaping before she arrived said that Gigliotti was hollering, 'Help, help, get off of me, help me, help me.' 'They had their knee on his neck and they were sitting on him. They were like, it was like a giant pig pile on top of him,' Rooney said of the officers. 'He had a heart of gold, he would never hurt anybody, he was screaming for help and their way of helping him is killing him by applying pressure on him?' On Monday, Haverhill police Chief Robert Pistone Jr announced that the seven officers were put on paid administrative leave as the Essex County District Attorney's Office reviews the incident. The officers were not wearing body cameras, as the police department does not have them, according to Mayor Melinda Barrett. Since the 1990s, the US Justice Department has told officers to roll suspects off their stomachs when they are handcuffed to avoid asphyxia, which can lead to suffocation and death. Rooney said that the medical examiner told her it could take up to 60 days to determine Gigliotti's cause of death. Over the weekend, a vigil was held for Gigliotti and some protesters rallied outside the police department demanding answers. Anyone with videos or photos from the incident is urged to share them with the district attorney's office. The GoFundMe page had raised more than $5,200 as of Tuesday evening. More Trending 'We are now left to carry not only the pain of his loss,' Rooney wrote, 'But the burden of funeral costs and the legal fight for justice in his name.' Gigliotti was from Haverhill, a suburb about 35 miles north of Boston. He was the co-founder of Teddy Bear Roofing, according to a Facebook post by the company. 'We started this business together less than a month ago, after working side-by-side for the last four years. What we built was more than a company. It was a dream. And it was finally starting to take shape,' states the post. 'Francis was kind, hardworking, loyal, and full of life. He had so much ahead of him, and he didn't deserve this. None of this is okay.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Three women arrested on terror charges after van driven into defense factory MORE: Trump warns Zelensky not to fire missiles on Moscow MORE: Teen dies after getting sucked into meat grinder at burrito factory
