Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker deserves praise for releasing 28 minutes of video relating to the death of Haverhill resident Francis Gigliotti. It’s a level of transparency that occurred only rarely during the long term of his predecessor, former DA Jonathan Blodgett.
Certainly, it’s just a start. The 28 minutes, stitched together from cellphone videos and closed-circuit TV cameras are a fraction of the more than 90 minutes of unedited footage investigators have collected as they probe the July 11 incident.
Tucker has said that raw footage will eventually be released. It must happen sooner, rather than later, as Gigliotti’s family and the public at large deserve a full, open accounting of the actions of the Haverhill Police Department. Police deserve it, as well.
The 43-year-old Gigliotti died after being restrained by several police officers outside Bradford Seafood at 124 Winter St.
The shorter video released by Tucker’s office shows several scenes of Gigliotti acting erratically before his fatal encounter with police. He is seen walking dangerously in and around traffic and nearly being hit by vehicles several times before encountering and evading police, then trying to enter the seafood restaurant before being restrained by the authorities.
Gigliotti became unresponsive while pressed to the ground by the officers. In the video he can be heard calling repeatedly for help. First responders began CPR, and he was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Seven officers involved in the incident remain on administrative leave, Tucker said.
“I’m not going to prejudge,” the district attorney said Monday. “When we take a look at the video, people can see into it what they do. As part of the investigation, we’re going to break it down piece by piece, and as we stand here today, I am nowhere near able to say what we’re prejudging or any conclusions that we’ve drawn.”
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is conducting an independent investigation to determine Gigliotti’s cause of death. That information will also be made public, Tucker said.
Meanwhile, Gigiliotti’s loved ones are left to wonder exactly what happened that day. The family’s attorney, Timothy J. Bradl, said in a statement that the video raised concerns “over the protocols that were used.”
“(Francis) was a man in distress; there needs to be a response protocol that does not include prolonged physical pressure on someone’s body,” Bradl said. “He needed to be cuffed, sat up, and left alone. He tried to leave the scene earlier on and was prevented from doing so. Why he was harassed for a long period of time was a mystery to us.”
While the family said it “will closely watch the legal process as it unfolds,” the statement did thank Tucker and Haverhill Mayor Melinda Barrett for their commitment to transparency.
For her part, Barrett called for patience.
“I recognize the community wants answers – and so do I,” she said in a statement. “While it may not move as quickly as many of us would like, I respect and support the need for a thorough investigation. We will continue to remain patient for all the facts to be disclosed.”
That’s the difficult balance to be struck by Tucker and those investigating the incident that led to the death of a city resident.
“There’s been so many questions and I think if you take a look at what’s been out there on social media, the speculation, I think the public has a right to know in as timely a fashion as we can,” Tucker said.
We agree.