A man is dead and his family is demanding answers after a “struggle” with police outside a Haverhill seafood restaurant.

Video of the Friday event shared to social media shows at least four police officers holding down a man later identified as Francis Gigliotti, 43. As police tried to restrain him, Gigliotti lost consciousness and was taken to a local hospital by EMS, according to Essex DA Paul Tucker’s office.

“During this encounter, the male party became unresponsive, and first responders attempted lifesaving aid. EMS arrived moments later and transported the male party to a local hospital where he was later pronounced deceased,” the DA’s office said in a statement.

Tucker’s office said Sunday the entire incident, from the initial encounter with police to Gigliotti’s fatal struggle at the entrance to the restaurant is subject to a “full investigation.” The probe will include interviews of all responding officers and witnesses and a review of all video of the incident, including clips posted to social media as well as public and private surveillance.

“This office understands the importance of transparency when conducting any investigation and we are committed to updating the public as soon as we are able to do so,” Tucker said Sunday.

The state’s Medical Examiner’s Office is conducting an autopsy to determing the cause and manner of Gigliotti’s death.

In one video clip shared to social media, an onlooker can be heard warning police to go easy on Gigliotti, because of “issues.”

“Be easy with that boy, he’s got issues. You heard? Be easy with that boy,” the bystander tells officers while Gigliotti screams for help while being restrained by police.

Officers were first called to investigate a man “behaving erratically” in the area of White Street just before 6:30 Friday evening, according to the DA.

The initial caller reported that Gigliotti fell while leaving a building before running down the middle of the street. The caller said Gigliotti hit his head on a car and continued down the street.

According to the DA’s office, surveillance video shows Gigliotti “weaving in and out of traffic, nearly being struck several times by passing motorists.”

When officers arrived, they found him “behaving in a belligerent manner.” Medical personnel were summoned to “assess his well-being,” but investigators say he fled on foot and attempted to enter Bradford Seafood at 124 Winter Street nearby.

“Officers attempted to restrain the individual for safety purposes and for the safety of the surrounding public. The officers and male party ended up on the ground outside Bradford Seafood in a struggle,” the DA’s office said.

It was during that struggle that Gigliotti became unresponsive.

Haverhill Mayor Melinda Barrett offered her condolences to Gigliotti’s family and said she is “closely monitoring the circumstances around his tragic death” and would keep the public informed.

“The District Attorney’s office is investigating. 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,” Mayor Barrett said in social media posts.

Gigliotti’s niece, Latecia Torres, coordinated a protest outside the Haverhill Police Department on Sunday. In social media posts, she called on locals to “stand up” with her family.

About 50 members of the community gathered at GAR Park in the city before marching to the police station where they chanted “Justice for Francis” on the sidewalk outside.

“It just seems they’re so inadequate on mental health” said Barbara Goodreault, a Haverhill resident who attended the protest to support for the family. “It’s dangerous for them all.”

“They should have had someone there to talk the situation down,” she said.

Natalie Cox, who held a sign reading “it was a mental health call,” said the video of police struggling with Gigliotti was “a shock to see.”

Cox said her own family sometimes struggles with mental health issues.

“Now it just got scarier,” she said.

Gigliotti had just formed a company called “Teddy Bear Roofing,” according to a post made to the company’s social media pages. His business partner expressed his “unimaginable pain and heartbreak” in sharing news of the death of his friend and colleague.

“Yesterday, Francis’s life was tragically taken from us in an act of senseless and brutal force at the hands of Haverhill Police. He was pinned to the ground by eight officers while screaming that he couldn’t breathe. He begged for help. And they didn’t listen,” the post read, in part.

According to his business partner, Gigliotti 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,” they wrote.

A GoFundMe has been created by Gigliotti’s fiancée, Michele Rooney, to help cover the cost of burying the 43-year-old and to fund an impending “legal fight for justice in his name.”

“On July 11th, 2025 Francis Gigliotti tragically lost his life after a violent encounter with the Haverhill Police Department. Eyewitnesses say more than six officers restrained him — piling on top of him — while he screamed out for help and ultimately stopped breathing. I am completely devastated. Francis should still be here,” Rooney wrote.