NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. — An off-duty police officer in North Andover is recovering after she was shot and wounded during an armed confrontation with police officers trying to serve a restraining order at her home, the district attorney said Tuesday.
Officer Kelsey Fitzsimmons, 28, was shot once in the incident on Phillips Brooks Road around 6 p.m. Monday, Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker said during a press conference on Tuesday.
Fitzsimmons, who has been on administrative leave, remains in stable condition after she was flown to a Boston hospital, Tucker said.
Three officers were carrying out a court-ordered restraining order at Fitzsimmons’ home when the shooting happened, Tucker and North Andover police said. Fitzsimmons was the subject of the restraining order.
“When one of the officers was escorting Ms. Fitzsimmons during the service of the court order, an armed confrontation took place,” Tucker said at a Tuesday news conference. “One of the standard boxes to check is the retrieval of any firearms in the home.”
Tucker declined to share further details about the restraining order against Fitzsimmons. North Andover Police Chief Charles Gray refused to reveal why she was on leave, calling it a “personnel matter.”
“It’s a critical incident, and like a lot of critical incidents the police officers deal with, we all have our own way of getting through it, whether together or by ourselves,” Gray said.
Fitzsimmons has been with the North Andover Police Department for about a year and a half. She will remain on administrative leave, officials said.
“We worry deeply about the mental health of our officers,” Tucker added. “These are humans, these are police officers who have to make quick decisions. This should not go unnoticed or unappreciated by the public.”
Boston 25 News reviewed the restraining order against Fitzsimmons, which was filed by the father of her child. It outlined allegations of domestic abuse.
Boston 25 also reached out to Fitzsimmons and her family, but didn’t hear back.
The shooting remains under investigation by state police detectives assigned to Tucker’s office.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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