Relatives of a man who died almost four years ago after being tasered and administered a tranquilliser during a standoff with police are calling upon the police and the health authorities to compensate them for their loss.

The case took place on the night of May 8, 2020, when police arrived at a Żabbar residence after being alerted to an ‘aggressive’ man who was allegedly throwing items from the roof onto people on the street below.

That man was Nazzareno, known as Ronnie Ghiller, 48. His relatives had been calling the police for three days, flagging the fact that he appeared to be in a poor state of mental health.

The incident occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic and the man’s sister later wrote on social media that her brother had been on the roof because he feared COVID-19 and shoppers queueing outside on the pavement in front of his home.

When the police turned up, the man allegedly locked himself inside a rooftop room.

The police later claimed that Ghiller was potentially armed and when he emerged from that room, he acted aggressively towards a doctor from the Paola health centre and leapt towards a window.

That was why officers had to restrain him by using a taser gun. The doctor then administered a tranquilliser.

Ghiller was taken to Mater Dei Hospital at around 11 pm and was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.

On Tuesday, his widow, Jacqueline Ghiller, also on behalf of the couple’s children, filed a judicial letter in the First Hall, Civil Court against the police commissioner and the chief medical officer calling upon them to step forward within three days to liquidate and settle damages suffered on account of that death.

They said their deceased relative had been tasered more than once by police and was then given a tranquilising shot by the doctor.

The court document was signed by lawyers Jason Azzopardi and Kris Busietta.

The State Advocate and the Attorney General were also notified.