An off-duty North Andover officer shot by a fellow officer on Monday lost her gun license in March due to concerns over pregnancy-related mental health issues.
Officer Kelsey Fitzsimmons, 28, regained her gun license nearly two weeks ago after filing a lawsuit against her department’s police chief.
She withdrew the lawsuit last Friday, and days later, she was shot by a fellow officer in her home while being delivered a restraining order requested by her fiancé.
Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker described it as an “armed confrontation,” and he did not provide details about what led up to the incident. He said an officer was “escorting” Fitzsimmons when it happened.
In a copy of the restraining order obtained by NBC Boston, Fitzsimmons’ fiancé described fearing for his life and their 4-month-old baby.
What gun petition documents show
Documents from her petition to reinstate her gun license, written by her attorney, Peter Kelley, and filed May 6, show that police visited her home in March due to a “mental health episode.”
Police and EMT were called to the couple’s home on March 9 on Phillips Brook Road, and Fitzsimmons was “emotional, crying and seeking assistance,” documents state.
“No homicidal or suicidal statements were made,” the documents state.
The incident happened three weeks after the birth of her child, and she was involuntarily committed to Lawrence General Hospital for about 12 hours.
Doctors diagnosed Fitzsimmons with postpartum depression while she was discharged from the hospital, documents show.
She then sought counseling from a therapist and a psychiatrist and received treatment.
After being hospitalized, Fitzsimmons contacted the North Andover police department and voluntarily arranged to turn over her personal and service guns, which were taken by police and placed into evidence.
Fitzsimmons “is not impacted by a mental illness in a manner that should prevent her from possessing a firearm,” her attorney wrote.
Then by June 18, she had been cleared to return to duty by a medical professional and her gun license reinstated, according to a letter by Lieutenant Michael Davis, the criminal investigations division commander for North Andover Police.
Fitzsimmons graduated from the police academy in May 2024 and had been on maternity leave during the incident in March. She was placed on paid administrative leave pending the results of a “fitness for duty” evaluation on April 30.
Details revealed from fiancé’s restraining order
A court-approved restraining order requested by the unnamed fiancé described an incident on June 28 — two days before the armed confrontation with police. NBC Boston obtained and published portions of the restraining order.
“Kelsey Fitzsimmons is a danger to myself and our son, along with herself,” the restraining order states. “On Saturday night, June 28, Kelsey struck me with a closed fist 3X to my face. I was scared she would not stop.”
The fiancé’s brother and sibling were in the next room and when they came in, Fitzsimmons acted like she didn’t do anything, the document states.
“I feared for my life,” the fiancé wrote.
At the end of the restraining order, he wrote that Fitzsimmons had threatened to take the baby “far, far away for a long, long time.”
“I fear that she will kill the baby at any moment,” the fiancé wrote.
What authorities have said so far
Tucker, the district attorney, said the police responded to the couple’s home at about 6 p.m. on Monday when an “armed confrontation” broke out. Tucker spoke at a press conference Tuesday morning along with North Andover Police Chief Charles Grey.
The officer who shot Fitzsimmons hit her once and was described as a veteran of the force with more than 20 years of experience.
Following the shooting, Fitzsimmons received medical treatment and was ultimately flown to a Boston hospital, where she was described as in stable condition on Tuesday.
The Essex District Attorney’s Office did not provide an update on Fitzsimmons’ condition on Wednesday.
“There are lots of interviews to be done, there are lots of pieces to be put together, there [are] lots of things that remain unanswered,” Tucker said on Tuesday. “But for now, 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.”
A longtime police officer himself, Tucker said serving restraining orders is one of the most dangerous duties an officer performs.
He said the restraining order was a “standard” 209A, the statute governing abuse prevention in Massachusetts. Those forms generally require a person to turn over all firearms in their possession, he noted.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
