North Andover police officer Kelsey Fitzsimmons says she only pointed gun at herself: "I wanted to take my own life"

Kelsey Fitzsimmons, the North Andover, Massachusetts police officer who was shot by a colleague, took the stand in her own defense on Wednesday, saying that she never pointed her service weapon at anyone but herself. After Fitzsimmons completed her testimony, the defense rested.

With both sides done presenting their cases, closing arguments will be held Thursday morning with the defense and prosecution each given 30 minutes. Lawrence Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Karp said he doesn't know when a verdict should be expected, but added that he could reach a decision Thursday afternoon or on Friday.

Fitzsimmons, 29, faces one charge of assault with a dangerous weapon in the incident at her home in North Andover last summer.

On June 30, 2025, Fitzsimmons was shot by fellow North Andover officer Pat Noonan as police entered her home to serve her with a restraining order from her then-fiancé, Justin Aylaian.

Fitzsimmons said she was stressed about the officers taking her four-month-old son and claimed she pulled her gun towards herself in a mental health episode. Earlier this week, Noonan testified that she pointed her service weapon at him and pulled the trigger. There was no round in the chamber, so the gun clicked but didn't fire.

"I wanted to take my own life. I never pointed the gun at a fellow police officer. It never happened," Fitzsimmons testified on Wednesday.  

Noonan said Fitzsimmons tried to get another round in the chamber and started to point the gun at him again. He fired two shots at her. One hit her in the chest, the other missed.

Defense attorney Timothy Bradl handled direct questioning of Fitzsimmons, which lasted for about 90 minutes. After a brief recess, prosecutor James Gubitose cross-examined Fitzsimmons for about 20 minutes before the defense rested.

"I feel like it was my only moment to finally say what actually happened," Fitzsimmons said when asked why she decided to take the stand.

"I'm very proud of her. She confronted a lot of demons and she's a lot stronger for it," Bradl said.

Kelsey Fitzsimmons cross-examination

Gubitose highlighted on cross-examination that when police officers are dealing with someone experiencing a mental health crisis, it can be a volatile situation.

He asked Fitzsimmons if an officer thinks there are guns in the house, is it correct that it should be considered a safety concern. She said that is true.

Earlier under direct questioning, Fitzsimmons said she was confused and surprised by the restraining order served against her. Gubitose asked if anything had happened the weekend before that would give her some reasoning.

"I was aware we were in an argument," she said.

After Gubitose finished questioning, Bradl did not have anything additional to ask Fitzsimmons.

Following afternoon recess, the defense decided that they no longer intend to go on a viewing of Fitzsimmons' former home with the judge and attorneys. As a result, the defense officially rested and the prosecution said there was no rebuttal case. 

"I wanted to be alone with my firearm"

Fitzsimmons testified under direct questioning about the day she was shot.

She said that she was confused what was happening, but knew something was going on because the officers who she worked with at the North Andover Police Department knocked on her door and said they needed to come in.

They handed her paperwork and she saw that her son was also on the order.

"I knew in that moment I was going to have to hand my 4-month-old to a police officer to be brought out of my house," she said.

Fitzsimmons said she lied to her coworkers about where her guns were located, saying they were in the basement. Her attorney asked why she did that.

"Because I didn't want them to take them away. I wanted to be alone with my firearm to take my life," Fitzsimmons said. "I made that decision as I realized I had just lost everything in a 15-second conversation with my coworker."

Fitzsimmons testified that she kept handing the officers items she was gathering, "to make them go away." Bradl asked what she meant by that.

"I knew if I pulled out my firearm in front of a police officer, I would get shot," Fitzsimmons testified. "That was not my intention and that's not what I did. I was trying to get them away from me so that didn't happen, so they weren't put in that position. I'm not dumb. I was a police officer. If someone takes out a gun in front of you, yes that's a threat. Yes, that's probably someone you feel threatened from."

Fitzsimmons maintained that she only wanted to shoot herself, not her fellow officer.

"I put the gun up to my head," Fitzsimmons said, adding that Officer Noonan walked into the room as she pulled the trigger. "He said, 'Kelsey, no. Kelsey, no.' I pulled the trigger. I'm sorry. But I said 'F---.'"

Bradl asked what happened next. "I got shot."

Relationship with Justin Aylaian

Fitzsimmons spoke about her relationship with Aylaian.

Aylaian and Fitzsimmons met through Facebook, went on a few dates, and she said they quickly hit it off. Aylaian is a North Andover firefighter, but is currently on administrative leave after Fitzsimmons' defense filed security camera videos that appeared to show him smoking in their yard.

Bradl asked, "Is it fair to say he broke up with you via a restraining order?" Fitzsimmons answered yes.

"I did not speak to him. I realized our relationship was over when a restraining order was handed to me," she said.

Kelsey Fitzsimmons takes witness stand

Fitzsimmons began her testimony by going through her background becoming a law enforcement officer.

She graduated from Fisher College's criminal justice program in 2020, worked for Fenway Park security and campus police as work studies.

Fitzsimmons wanted to go to the police academy, but because of the COVID pandemic she was unable to. Instead, she attended three semesters at Massachusetts School of Law. She later was able to attend the academy and worked for the Essex County Sheriff's Department before being hired by the North Andover Police Department.

"I always knew I wanted to be a police officer," she said.

Officer Pat Noonan's neighbor testifies

The first witness called by the defense was Maureen Torrisi, a retiree who was Noonan's neighbor. She testified that she asked him what happened with the North Andover police officer shooting.

"He said, 'I'm the shooter,'" Torrisi testified. "He had said that he had no choice and she had the gun pointed at him when he came into the bedroom."

Torrisi said Noonan told her that Fitzsimmons' gun "clicked and he wasn't going to let her get a second shot off, and that he was going to shoot her."

"And I'm like, well that doesn't make any sense," Torrisi aid.

Torrisi also testified that Noonan referred to Fitzsimmons as a "f---ing whack job."

During cross-examination, the prosecution pointed to comments Torrisi made online about there being a "set-up from the get-go," comparing it to the Karen Read case. 

"The judicial system seems to be going awry," Torrisi said.

The prosecutor also asked Torrisi to read a comment she made on a North Andover Police Department Facebook post celebrating the female officers on the force.

"Wow let's hope they stay safe from their colleagues," Torrisi said. 

Kelsey Fitzsimmons' mother testifies

The next witness called was by the defense was Lauren Page, Kelsey Fitzsimmons's mother. Martha Coakley, the former Massachusetts attorney general, asked the questions.

Page said her daughter was sad and confused because her then-fiancé, Justin Aylaian, "blew her off" when they had planned to meet earlier in the day.

Page had visited Fitzsimmons earlier on the day of the shooting, and returned later after getting a call from her. She said she saw police cars and an officer holding Fitzsimmons' baby.

The officer handed Fitzsimmons' son off to Page, and then was told by an officer to give the baby to Aylaian and his sister. 

"I heard a gentleman say, 'Kelsey, no! Kelsey, no!' And then, two gunshots," Page testified. 

What's happened in the Kelsey Fitzsimmons trial?

The final witness called by the prosecution Wednesday morning was Massachusetts State Police Sgt. David Strong, who was on the on-call supervisor on the day of the shooting. He searched the house after the shooting, and found three guns inside. He was asked by the defense if anyone from the North Andover Police Department went into the house while he waited for the search warrant. 

"Not that I'm aware of," Strong said.

Fitzsimmons spent weeks in the hospital with a collapsed lung and was later charged with assault. She chose to have a bench trial with Judge Karp deciding her fate instead of a jury.

If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or a suicidal crisis, you can reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. You can also chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline here.

For more information about mental health care resources and support, The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) HelpLine can be reached Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. ET, at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email info@nami.org.