Salem, Massachusetts– the Seven officers were involved A 43-year-old man who became unresponsive and died as police tried to restrain him in a Boston suburb will not face criminal charges, Essex District Attorney Paul Tucker announced Tuesday.
“After a thorough review of the facts and applicable law and consideration of an independent expert’s opinion, it is my office’s and my office’s view that the criminal charges are not supportable and will not be pursued,” Tucker told reporters.
Francis Gigliotti died outside Haverhill Fish Market on July 11 after running into traffic during what his fiancée called a mental health crisis.
The officers were not wearing body cameras. However, video captured by witnesses showed several officers holding Gigliotti face down as he screamed. The video did not show how long he was restrained or when he became unresponsive.
Seven officers have been placed on leave while authorities investigate.
Another video obtained by NBC10 in Boston showed Gigliotti falling to the sidewalk while leaving a store, then hitting his head on a parked car and entering traffic. Authorities said he was nearly struck several times.
On Tuesday, Tucker said Gigliotti’s death was due to “a cardiac arrhythmia in an individual suffering acute intoxication due to the combined effects of cocaine and ethanol while being restrained by police.”
Tucker said autopsy In particular, there were no injuries to Gigliotti’s nose, throat, neck or back. Bruises were found on his arms and legs.
Instead, Tucker said videos and interviews showed officers initially tried to help Gigliotti when they found him walking erratically around traffic.
The officers did not stop him until he tried to enter a seafood restaurant. Gigliotti was pinned to the ground for 2 minutes and 25 seconds, according to Tucker. When he became unresponsive, officers “administered Narcan, began CPR, and at some point, EMS personnel took over,” Tucker said.
The US Department of Justice has been warning police officers about this since the mid-1990s Rolling suspects off their stomachs Once they were handcuffed due to the risk of suffocation.
Placing someone on their stomach is not inherently life-threatening. But many police experts agree that a person can stop breathing if they are held to their chest for a long time or with a large weight because it can compress the lungs and put pressure on the heart.