‘He was crying for help’: Man dies following struggle with police outside Haverhill restaurant

By Marc Fortier, Kaitlin McKinley Becker and Mary Markos

A 43-year-old man died on Friday after a struggle with police outside a seafood restaurant in Haverhill, Massachusetts.

Haverhill police received a call around 6:22 p.m. for a man who was allegedly behaving erratically in the 100 block of White Street, the Essex District Attorney’s Office said in a statement. The caller said the man had fallen on the floor while leaving the building, was running in the middle of the street and hit a car with his head before continuing down White Street.

The district attorney’s office said video surveillance showed the man weaving in and out of traffic, and that he was nearly struck several times by passing motorists. Responding officers arrived at the scene and found the man behaving in what they described as “a belligerent manner,” and called for an ambulance to assess his well being.

Before the ambulance could arrive, the man fled on foot and attempted to enter Bradford Seafood located at 124 Winter St., the district attorney’s office said.

Officers attempted to restrain the man outside the restaurant “for safety purposes and for the safety of the surrounding public,” according to the district attorney’s office, which added that officers and the man wound up on the ground outside the restaurant in a struggle.

During the scuffle, officials say the man became unresponsive, and first responders attempted to provide life-saving aid. Emergency medical crews arrived moments later and took the man to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

The owner of Bradford Seafood tells NBC10 Boston that the man was acting erratically.

“He was out of control put it this way and the police department protected the public,” Dimitrios Argyriadis said. “Resist arrest. That’s what the truth is.”

Witnesses tell NBC10 Boston that they recorded seven Haverhill police officers restraining Francis Gigliotti outside the restaurant.

“We see what happened. They pinned him down with his chest on the ground. He was crying for help, help, he couldn’t breathe,” said Isaiah Dotson, Gigliotti’s partner at Teddy Bear Roofing.

“I haven’t even watched the video myself,” Gigliotti’s niece, Albanee, said. “Every time I hear the cries, I can’t. I just freak out. It’s just too much for me.”

The district attorney’s office has not identified the man, but Haverhill Mayor Melinda Barrett said in a statement that she wanted to offer her condolences to the family of Francis Gigliotti.

Barrett said she also wanted to assure the community that she was closely monitoring the circumstances around his “tragic death,” and said the district attorney’s office is investigating what happened.

“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,” she said.

Gigliotti’s fiancé tells NBC10 Boston that she had just talked to him before this all occurred.

“I was going to pick him up and it was only literally six minutes from the time I was talking to him until the time I seen him on the ground blue,” Michelle Rooney said through tears. “I can never get that picture out of my head of what I saw.”

“I just love him and I miss him tremendously and I’m just so so heartbroken,” she added.

Friends and family honored Gigliotti’s memory in front of the restaurant Saturday night.

The incident remains under investigation by detectives assigned to the district attorney’s office, the Haverhill Police Department and the chief medical examiner’s office. Further details have not been shared.

Update: Seven Haverhill Police officers have been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation into a deadly encounter outside of a seafood restaurant on Friday night, according to Chief Robert Pistone.

“Once the investigation is complete, and all of the facts are known, I will be able to provide more information and address the media and public,” the chief said in a statement on Monday.

The names of the officers involved have not been made public.