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Bench Trial Opens in Case of North Andover Officer Shot by Colleague

The judge must weigh starkly different accounts with little video evidence.

Overview

  • Kelsey Fitzsimmons’ bench trial, which began Monday, featured Officer Pat Noonan testifying that she pointed a gun at him, pulled the trigger on an empty chamber, then tried to load it before he shot her.
  • Proceedings continue Tuesday with Noonan’s cross-examination before Judge Jeffrey Karp after Fitzsimmons waived her right to a jury.
  • The defense says Fitzsimmons was in a postpartum mental-health crisis and raised the weapon to her own head in a suicide attempt rather than at police.
  • There is no body-camera footage and only home surveillance video of the moments before the shooting, so the case hinges on witness testimony and credibility.
  • The confrontation began June 30, 2025, when officers served a restraining order obtained by her then-fiancé, who also sought emergency custody of their infant.