A Massachusetts police officer is recovering in hospital after a confrontation with fellow officers turned violent during the service of a restraining order.
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North Andover officer Kelsey Fitzsimmons allegedly pulled a gun on a colleague. The weapon initially jamming before the situation escalated.
Authorities say Fitzsimmons "tap racked" the firearm twice to clear the malfunction. This prompted officer Patrick Noonan to open fire in self-defense.
The 28-year-old was airlifted to a Boston hospital, where she remains in stable condition.
Fitzsimmons had just been served with a restraining order requested by her fiancé, who feared for the safety of their four-month-old son.
Cop Shooting Unfolds During Restraining Order Service
Noonan, along with two other officers, arrived at a North Andover home to serve the order, leading to a tense and rapidly escalating confrontation.
As officers attempted to remove the child from the home, Fitzsimmons allegedly drew her service weapon, triggering the shooting.
"I was yelling, 'Don't do it! Don't do it!' She successfully got a round in the chamber," Noonan testified, via The New York Post. "I shot twice in rapid succession. I saw her flinch. The gun went down. And then she went to the ground."
Fitzsimmons' fiancé, Justin Aylaian, and his sister, Courtney Aylaian, both testified that they heard gunshots and immediately fled with the infant.
Justin, a firefighter, had previously moved out of the home due to what he described as increasingly erratic behavior. He had already been granted temporary custody of their son, Caden.
Troubling History Outlined in Court Filings
According to The Boston Globe, Justin sought an abuse prevention restraining order after witnessing what he described as disturbing and suicidal behavior during Fitzsimmons' pregnancy.
He expressed fears that her actions could escalate and put their child in danger.
"Kelsey is threatening to take the baby 'far, far, far away for a long, long time.' This is how she has spoken about killing herself in the past," he wrote in the order application. "She punched her stomach repeatedly while pregnant, saying she would kill herself and the baby."
Following the birth of their son on February 16, Fitzsimmons was involuntarily committed to Lowell General Hospital for treatment related to postpartum depression.
She surrendered her department-issued firearm and at least one personal weapon at the time.
While she was later cleared to return to work by the Andover Police Department, it remains unclear whether those weapons were returned.
At the time of the incident, she was on administrative leave.
Justin is now seeking full legal custody of their son as the case continues to unfold.
