A Massachusetts man, Francis Gigliotti, died outside a fish market in July. The cause of death has been attributed to an irregular heartbeat, precipitated by intoxication through cocaine and alcohol, and efforts by the police to restrain him, according to the prosecutor’s office. The case is now being treated as a homicide, based on the medical examiner’s findings provided to the District Attorney of Essex County, Paul F. Tucker.
The scene unfolded in Haverhill, to the north of Boston, near the New Hampshire border. Reports indicate that seven police officers were put on paid leave following the incident, after the man in handcuffs became unresponsive and subsequently died while being restrained in a prone position. The actions of these officers are now under investigation by the District Attorney’s office, as they seek to determine if these actions were justified.
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Gigliotti had been walking into traffic during what his fiancée described as a mental health crisis. The officers at the scene were not equipped with body cameras. However, video captured by bystanders shows the officers holding Gigliotti face down. The timing of his unresponsiveness and the duration of the restraint remain unclear.
This incident raises important questions about police restraint tactics. The U.S. Department of Justice has been cautioning police officers for decades about the risk of positional asphyxia, urging them to roll suspects off their stomachs immediately after handcuffing. Many experts in policing agree that undue pressure on the chest can inhibit breathing and strain the heart by compressing the lungs.
Despite the unanswered questions, one thing is clear: a man’s life ended during an interaction with the police.
