Officials are giving few details about the circumstances that prompted a North Andover police officer to fire on a 28-year-old colleague as he and two officers were attempting to serve her a restraining order, an incident being characterized by the department as an “armed confrontation.”
North Andover Police Officer Kelsey Fitzsimmons was reported in stable condition at a Boston hospital Tuesday where she was sent by air ambulance following the incident Monday night. Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker and North Andover Police Chief Charles Gray said at a press conference Tuesday they are waiting for information from officers’ interviews before releasing further details.
“What we are saying is, accurately, there was an armed confrontation. In terms of the details of that, and how that came to be, it was during the service of the court-approved restraining order. But, the very granular details we are waiting to speak on until we get the interviews back from our state police detectives who are speaking to the North Andover officers that were involved,” Tucker said during the conference at the North Andover Police Station.
Fitzsimmons has been on the roster of the North Andover Police Department for a year and a half. She was on administrative leave from the department when three fellow officers appeared at her home at 125 Phillips Brooks Road just before 6:30 p.m. on Monday, June 30. Tucker said he could not say who requested the restraining order or whether Fitzsimmons was still in possession of her service revolver, but he said the officers were dispatched to remove any firearms from the home—standard procedure when executing a restraining order.
“I can’t comment on who the plaintiff was, but I can tell you that a court order there are check boxes. Often times its ‘stay away from,’ ‘no contact’ and ‘turn over all firearms.’ So, the restraining order was a standard 209A,” Tucker said, adding that serving restraining orders is among the most dangerous duties of any police officer.
Tucker also would not say where Fitsimmons was struck. He said the officer who discharged his gun was a veteran of the department with more than two decades of service. He also said he and Chief Gray are very concerned about the mental health of all his officers, both on and off duty.
“These are humans. These are police officers that have to make quick decisions potentially using deadly force. This is something that should not go unnoticed or unappreciated by the public,” Tucker said.
Fitzsimmons’ leave will be extended, Gray said, adding that no decision has been made yet whether the other officers involved will be placed on leave or given extended time off.