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Off-duty police officer shot in confrontation with colleagues in North Andover
Officer Kelsey Fitzsimmons was being served a restraining order when an "armed confrontation" broke out, officials said.
An off-duty police officer was shot and wounded in a confrontation that involved three other officers from the North Andover Police Department on Monday.
The incident occurred just after 6 p.m. as three officers attempted to serve a court-approved restraining order to Kelsey Fitzsimmons, the off-duty officer. Fitzsimmons, 28, has been with NAPD for over a year, Essex District Attorney Paul Tucker said at a press conference Tuesday.
As one of the officers was “escorting” Fitzsimmons during the interaction, an “armed conflict” broke out. One of the responding officers fired their weapon, striking Fitzsimmons once, Tucker said.
She was immediately given medical care and flown to a Boston-area hospital. Fitzsimmons was in stable condition as of Tuesday morning. Officials did not comment on her medical status further.
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The on-duty officers who were involved included one supervisor. The officer that fired their weapon is a veteran who has served for more than 20 years, Tucker said.
“Serving… court-approved restraining orders are sometimes some of the most dangerous duties that police officers encounter, no matter who the object of that order is,” Tucker said.
Tucker and NAPD Chief Charles Gray did not comment on whether or not Fitzsimmons was armed at the time of the incident. They also did not provide details about the nature of the restraining order or who filed it against Fitzsimmons. Tucker did confirm that Fitzsimmons was being served a standard restraining order that would have necessitated Fitzsimmons hand over any firearms in her possession.
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Fitzsimmons was on administrative leave at the time of the incident, officials said, and this leave will be extended. Tucker and Gray did not comment on the status of the other officers involved in the incident.
NAPD officers do not use body cameras, Gray said. Officials did not comment on whether anyone else was in the home with Fitzsimmons at the time.
No charges have been filed yet. State Police detectives are meeting with lawyers from Tucker’s office to discuss the matter, but Tucker indicated that there is a possibility that charges will be filed in the future.
According to court documents, Fitzsimmons was denied her Firearms Identification Card earlier this year. She sought relief in Lawrence District Court in an apparent attempt to have her FID card reinstated. However, Fitzsimmons withdrew her petition last Friday.
Fitzsimmons was sworn in as an NAPD officer last May, according to Facebook posts made by the department. She attended Fisher College and the Massachusetts School of Law, according to her LinkedIn profile. Before joining NAPD, she served as a correctional officer in the Essex County Sheriff’s Department.
Fitzsimmons was president of the Criminal Justice Club at Fisher, according to a Facebook post made by the college in 2020. Fitzsimmons had apparently decided against becoming a police officer after going on ride-alongs as an intern with the Methuen Police Department and was planning to pivot to a career practicing law.
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State Police are leading an ongoing investigation.
“There are lots of interviews to be done, there are lots of pieces to be put together. There’s lots of things that remain unanswered,” Tucker said Tuesday.
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