Ex-Massachusetts cop Kelsey Fitzsimmons revealed the gunshot wound she suffered was an inch from her spine when a colleague opened fire on her last year as she plans on suing the department following her acquittal.
The former North Andover police officer shared what appeared to be a graphic image of her injury this week in response to her former employer posting a flippant social media comment about her incoming legal action.
During her high profile trial, a judge last Thursday found Fitzsimmons not guilty of assaulting a fellow officer, who shot her in her bedroom when she pulled a service weapon as police tried to serve a restraining order – though she claims she only wanted to hurt herself.
Fitzsimmons was suffering from severe postpartum depression in June 2025 when three cops she worked with showed up at her house to serve the papers from her ex-fiancé that would remove her infant son from her care.
While the criminal trial is behind her, the battle with her former employer appears far from over.
When a news article about her planned lawsuit was posted online this week, a Facebook account belonging to the North Andover Police Department left a shocking comment.
“In other shocking news!” the department’s account wrote – though town officials later claimed an ex-employee who still had access to the page posted it.
Before the town’s attempted cleanup, Fitzsimmons and her supporters unleashed on the police force.
An X account that appeared to belong to Fitzsimmons showed a gunshot wound that went through her chest and out the other side.
“Since the [North Andover] PD wants to make their first public and also heartless statements tonight: This is my exit wound. An inch from my spine,” she said.
Her lawyer, Tim Bradl, also replied to North Andover police’s comment.
“Thank you NAPD for confirming your institutional deliberate indifference,” he wrote online, according to MassLive. “See you in Court.”
Fitzsimmons’ lung was punctured by the shot and she spent over 50 days recovering, including five surgeries.
The former cop and her legal team were expected to file presentment letters against the town Thursday, which is a required to get civil litigation underway.
“What is my life worth to you? That’s kind of how I feel,” Fitzsimmons told NBC10 Boston on Wednesday about the anticipated lawsuit.
She and Bradl said the way police served the restraining order was “horrible” as the attorney questioned why her own colleagues were tasked with serving the papers.
Fitzsimmons also recounted the moment she was shot with blogger Aidan “Turtleboy” Kearney during a podcast interview this week.
“It truly felt like a force that burned the whole inside of my body is the only way I can explain it. Its’s such a heavy force,” Fitzsimmons said, adding the wound was “less than an inch away from my spine.”
The officer who shot Fitzsimmons, Patrick Noonan, alleged she pointed the gun at him, and he thought she wanted to kill him or her fiancé downstairs.
He said heard a “click” noise before she “tap racked” twice to force a round into the chamber. And when she did, Noonan fired off two rounds until she dropped the gun and hit the floor, he claimed.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling.If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
