District attorney won't charge police officers in Haverhill man's death; family to file lawsuit

The Essex County District Attorney said Tuesday he will not pursue charges against officers in the death of Francis Gigliotti, the man who died last summer after a struggle with Haverhill police that was caught on video. 

D.A. Paul Tucker said that after an independent investigation, "it's the view of my office and myself that criminal charges are not supportable and will not be pursued."

Gigliotti, 43, died on July 11, 2025. Before he died, investigators have said he was "behaving erratically" and wandering in and out of traffic on White Street. 

Surveillance video showed Gigliotti eventually talking with two police officers who had called an ambulance for him, before running away and trying to enter the Bradford Seafood restaurant on Winter Street.

Gigliotti was pulled back and taken down by several police officers. He can be heard yelling for help while he is being restrained. Tucker said Mr. Gigliotti was on the ground for 2 minutes and 25 seconds before becoming unresponsive.

"After all of this review, our retained independent expert found that the officers acted in a reasonable manner," Tucker said.

The Chief Medical Examiner ruled Gigliotti's death to be a homicide, though Haverhill Mayor Melinda Barrett noted that is a medical classification and does not necessarily mean that police actions were unlawful. The medical examiner said in a statement that Gigliotti's cause of death was "cardiac dysrhythmia in a person with acute intoxication due to the combined effects of cocaine and ethanol while being restrained prone by police."

Gigliotti's family said Tuesday that they intend to sue the city of Haverhill and police over his death. They say he struggle with mental health issues and allege that several police officers and first responders were negligent and not properly trained.

"Restraining Francis in the manner in which these police officers and first responders did prevented Francis from breathing adequately and apshyxia resulted," a lawyer for the family said in a letter to the city.