A cop who was shot by a fellow officer while off duty had threatened to kill herself and her infant son, court documents show.
Kelsey Fitzsimmons, 28, was shot once on Monday evening after three fellow officers arrived at her home to serve a protection order on behalf of her fiance.
The off-duty North Andover Police Department officer had allegedly voiced suicidal ideation both while she was pregnant and after she gave birth.
Her firefighter fiance had expressed concerns that it would escalate to physical violence against their four-month-old son, according to The Boston Globe.
‘I fear she will kill the baby at any moment,’ he wrote in the restraining order application.
‘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.
‘She punched her stomach repeatedly while pregnant, saying she would kill herself and the baby.’
He claimed that during a June 28 outing, Fitzsimmons allegedly punched him in the face three times while intoxicated.
Kelsey Fitzsimmons, 28, was shot once on Monday evening after three fellow officers arrived at her home to serve a protection order on behalf of her fiance
The off-duty North Andover Police Department officer had allegedly voiced suicidal ideation both while she was pregnant and after she gave birth
He added that during that altercation, she chased after him and their child, prompting him to seek shelter at a motel as their friends called four different police departments for help.
The firefighter said the baby boy was staying with his parents at the time, but Fitzsimmons’ parents came to collect him.
‘I fear if she doesn’t have me she will kill the baby because she has said she has nothing besides me,’ he wrote.
‘Fitzsimmons is a danger to myself, her son and herself.’
He is now seeking full custody of their son, and that matter is still being heard by the courts.
As per Fitzsimmons’ restraining order, she must surrender all weapons and stay away from both the North Andover Fire Department and his current home.
The order will effect until at least July 14.
The new dad had warned officers in his initial report that Fitzsimmons may respond poorly to being served the 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
When officers came to knock on her door, an ‘armed confrontation’ took place.
‘As a result of that armed confrontation, one of the responding officers discharged their weapon, which struck Ms. Fitzsimmons once,’ Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker said.
The wounded officer had to be airlifted by medical helicopter to a Boston hospital, where she remains in a stable condition.
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.
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.
A note in the court paperwork had warned officers that serving Fitzsimmons could carry additional risk.
As per Fitzsimmons’ restraining order, she must surrender all weapons and stay away from both the North Andover Fire Department and his current home
‘Defendant is an officer with a license to carry. Plaintiff expressed concerns regarding Defendant’s reaction to being served.’
‘Pursuant to the court order, one of the standard boxes to check is retrieval of any firearms in the home,’ Tucker said.
He added 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.’
The officer who fired the shot is a veteran with more than 20 years of experience, Tucker added.
The department does not use body cameras, so there is no video of the shooting, according to Chief Gray.
The incident is under investigation by Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to Tucker’s office, while Fitzsimmons recovers in the hospital.
