COPS SHOOT CRAZY COP

Female cop is shot in wild encounter with fellow officers who turned up at her home to serve restraining order

 

By James Gordon 

 

Daily Mail

Jul 2, 2025

 

Kelsey Fitzsimmons, 28, an off-duty officer with the North Andover Police Department, was shot once Monday evening after three fellow officers arrived at her home to serve a court-approved protection order

 

A female police officer was shot by a fellow officer during a dramatic confrontation inside her own home while being served with a restraining order filed by her fiancé over safety concerns for their four-month-old baby.

Kelsey Fitzsimmons, 28, an off-duty officer with the North Andover Police Department, was shot once on Monday evening after three fellow officers, including a supervisor, arrived at her home to serve a court-approved protection order.

Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker confirmed on Tuesday that as Fitzsimmons was being 'escorted' in the home and being served the order, an 'armed confrontation' erupted.

'As a result of that armed confrontation, one of the responding officers discharged their weapon, which struck Ms. Fitzsimmons once,' Tucker told reporters. 

The wounded officer had to be airlifted by medical helicopter to a Boston hospital, where she remains in stable condition. 

The district attorney would not comment on where she had been shot nor confirm details about her mental health.

Fitzsimmons, who had been with the department about 18 months, was already on administrative leave and had filed to have her service weapon returned during her leave, according to police. Her leave will now be extended.

Court documents obtained by WBZ-TV shed light on why officers had arrived to serve the restraining order.

 

Fitzsimmons, who has been with the department about 18 months, was already on administrative leave and had filed to have her service weapon returned during her leave

 

Fitzsimmons' fiancé told authorities she allegedly struck him, threatened to take their baby away, and that he feared for their child's safety. 

In March, police and emergency medical responders were called to Fitzsimmons's home for what was described as a 'female having a mental health episode,' records show. 

She was hospitalized for 12 hours and diagnosed with postpartum depression. At that time, she turned in her service weapon.

After being medically cleared in June, Fitzsimmons was reinstated to active duty, along with her license to carry a firearm.

But on Monday, things took a grim turn. The fiancé obtained a restraining order and a bid for sole custody of their infant.

The confrontation that followed inside Fitzsimmons's own home then turned violent.

Officers had arrived to serve the standard '209A' abuse prevention order, which includes retrieval of any firearms as a routine safety measure.

'Pursuant to the court order, one of the standard boxes to check is retrieval of any firearms in the home,' Tucker explained, adding that the restraining order process can be 'some of the most dangerous duties that police officers can cover, no matter who the object of that order is.' 

 

In March, police and emergency medical responders were called to Fitzsimmons's home for what was described as a 'female having a mental health episode'. At that time, she turned in her service weapon

 

A note in the court paperwork had warned officers that serving Fitzsimmons could carry additional risk.

'Defendant is an officer with a license to carry. Plaintiff expressed concerns regarding Defendant's reaction to being served.' 

When asked if Fitzsimmons was armed during the encounter, Tucker said investigators were still gathering statements from the officers involved.

'The very granular details, we're waiting to speak on until we get the interviews back from our state police detectives,' he told reporters. 

North Andover Police Chief Charles Gray, appearing visibly shaken, declined to comment on whether the restraining order was linked directly to her service weapon, calling it a 'personnel matter.'

He added, 'We're concerned for all the officers, on-duty and off-duty, and we're just going to monitor and hopefully get some results.'

The officer who fired the shot, whose name has not yet been released, is a veteran with more than 20 years of experience, Tucker confirmed.

Mental health clinician Jeff Zeizel, who works with first responders, told CBS Boston that resources for officers in crisis are critical.

'The more people process their feelings and deal with the trauma, the healthier they become,' Zeizel said. 

The department does not use body cameras, so there is no video of the shooting, according to Chief Gray.

District Attorney Tucker acknowledged the many unanswered questions surrounding the incident.

'There are lots of interviews to be done. There are lots of pieces to be put together. There is lots of things that remain unanswered,' he said. 

The incident is under investigation by Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to Tucker's office, while Fitzsimmons recovers in the hospital.

'We want to make sure that the people of North Andover and across the Commonwealth know as much as we can give out at this time, being as transparent as we can,' Tucker said.