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Judge lets ex-police officer walk after she denied pointing gun at fellow cop who shot her in home standoff
This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
A former Massachusetts police officer has been found not guilty of attempting to shoot a brother in blue after she testified she was trying to kill herself as officers arrived at her home to serve a restraining order filed by her ex-fiancé.
Kelsey Fitzsimmons, a 29-year-old former North Andover police officer, went to trial after she was charged with a single count of assault with a dangerous weapon after prosecutors alleged she pointed a gun at a fellow officer, Patrick Noonan, and attempted to fire it on June 25, 2025.
However, Fitzsimmons vehemently denied the allegations, instead insisting she was attempting to kill herself when officers arrived at her home to serve a restraining order obtained by her fiancé, Justin Aylaian, and take custody of her young child.
“I didn’t want to involve anybody. I wanted to take my own life,” she said earlier this week. “I never pointed the gun at a fellow police officer. It never happened.”
The verdict was handed down by Judge Jeffrey Karp after nearly four hours of deliberations on Thursday, according to WCVB.
Karp decided the case because Fitzsimmons reportedly waived her right to a trial by jury.
“I think that Ms. Fitzsimmons, Officer Noonan and all the people involved in the tragic events of June 30, 2025, deserve an explanation,” Karp said before delivering his decision, according to WCVB.
“I am left with a reasonable doubt, and I am duty-bound to find that the Commonwealth has not met its burden to prove that Ms. Fitzsimmons committed an assault by means of a dangerous weapon,” he said. “My verdict is, and must be, not guilty.”
Karp added he found no evidence Fitzsimmons had been the victim of a conspiracy.
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“I saw no evidence of a conspiracy in this case. What I saw was dedicated public servants, like Officer Noonan and his fellow officers, doing the best they could under rapidly evolving, emotional circumstances,” Karp said.
Fitzsimmons was shot by Noonan after allegedly pointing a gun at him and was later arrested and arraigned on one count of armed assault with intent to murder and two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon.
She was indicted in Essex Superior Court, but a grand jury ultimately chose to maintain just one count of assault with a dangerous weapon.
Upon taking the stand Wednesday, Fitzsimmons recalled the moment she was shot by Noonan.
“I went into like a huge adrenaline shock. It didn’t feel like normal pain. It almost felt like absent pain, but it felt like my entire body was burning, and I was completely alert, completely awake the whole time,” Fitzsimmons said.
“I was speaking as much as I could. My lung was punctured, so that’s why I was having trouble breathing, but other than that, I was very alert and aware of my surroundings.”
Immediately after the shooting, Fitzsimmons reportedly said the fire department and additional resources transported her from her home to a hospital, where she repeatedly told them she “wanted to die” after authorities arrived to serve the restraining order and take custody of her 4-month-old child.
“They brought me outside, and I think when I was still in my house, one of the firefighters was trying to put oxygen on my face, and I was taking it off and just saying, ‘I want to die, I want to die, I want to die.'”
In closing statements, defense attorney Tim Bradl pointed to the possibility that Noonan made the decision to shoot Fitzsimmons too quickly, according to the outlet.
“He’s the only one with the Rambo story,” Bradl said. “Everyone else has what Kelsey says. He walks into a suicide in progress. He sees it. He reacts. ‘Kelsey no, Kelsey no.’ Bam. Bam. Brain freeze. Mistake. He has to cover it up.”
However, prosecuting attorney James Gubitose reportedly held up Fitzsimmons’ empty gun during his closing, insisting that evidence contradicted Fitzsimmons’ testimony while praising Noonan’s police training.
“It’s impossible to have happened the way she said it,” Gubitose said. “It is scientifically, mechanically impossible for it to happen the way she said.”
In a statement to Fox News Digital, the Essex County District Attorney’s Office added that the indictment “was brought in good faith, supported by credible police testimony and corroborated by the physical evidence,” and “while respecting the judge’s verdict, we disagree.”
“We also commend the professionalism and civility of prosecutors involved in this highly public and emotionally charged case as well as this being an instance of police officers acting to the best of their ability during a tragic and rapidly evolving incident. The work of police officers, particularly in cases involving restraining orders, is extremely dangerous, and I recognize their dedication, courage and willingness to serve.”
Fitzsimmons’ attorney did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.
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‘We didn’t cave’: Thune highlights Schumer, Dems’ losses in DHS funding deal
As a Homeland Security shutdown drags on, the top Senate Republican says Democrats are getting “zero” of the reforms they demanded.
Congressional Democrats have taken victory laps, viewing the outcome as a key win in their push for reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). They have also accused congressional Republicans of caving to their demands.
While the Senate’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) deal includes funding for ICE and much of CBP, it does not include the structural reforms Democrats spent the last 48 days pushing.
SENATE PASSES BILL TO FUND MOST OF DHS AFTER HOUSE GOP CAVES
When asked whether Republicans gave in, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom,” “No, we didn’t cave.”
“I mean, ultimately, what the Democrats did, you could say … this was all about ‘reforms,’ restrictions on ICE and CBP agents and what they could or couldn’t do,” Thune said. “They got none of that. They got zero of the reforms they were advocating for.”
Thune was responding to accusations from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who argued that “House Republicans caved” after backing down from their push for a 60-day funding extension for the agency.
HOUSE CONSERVATIVES RAGE AGAINST SENATE DHS SHUTDOWN DEAL
Schumer argued that divisions in the GOP “derailed a bipartisan agreement” and said Democrats were clear in their objectives to “fund critical security, protect Americans, and provide no blank check for reckless ICE and Border Patrol enforcement.”
“We were united, held the line, and refused to let Republican chaos win,” Schumer said.
Thune countered, “In the end, this was all about their left-wing base demanding that no funding be provided.”
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“The good news for us is we saw this coming, and we pre-funded this last summer, so ICE and CBP are funded through the end of the fiscal year. Then we’ll add to those accounts and make sure they’re funded in future years,” Thune said.
Republicans, now with the backing of President Donald Trump, are eyeing the budget reconciliation process to fund immigration enforcement operations for the foreseeable future. It’s a tricky maneuver that would require full buy-in from Senate Republicans.
Trump lauded Republicans, including Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who originally torpedoed the Senate deal, for coming together to reopen most of DHS. He also noted that he would soon sign an executive order to pay, “ALL of the incredible employees at the Department of Homeland Security,” which comes as the funding plan currently wouldn’t pay immigration enforcement support staff.
“Republicans are UNIFIED, and moving forward on a plan that will reload funding for our FANTASTIC Border Patrol and Immigration Enforcement Officers,” Trump said on Truth Social.
In the meantime, the shutdown is still ongoing. The Senate’s redo of its funding plan Thursday morning sets up another vote in the House, where there is still significant resistance among some hardline Republicans, and the House is not expected to return to Washington, D.C., until April 13.
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Chris Jericho makes surprise AEW return after months of speculation
Chris Jericho made a stunning return to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) on Wednesday night after months of speculation over whether he would come back to the company he joined in 2019.
Jericho hadn’t been seen on AEW programming in nearly a year. He was last with The Learning Tree faction, but it disbanded soon after he lost the Ring of Honor World Heavyweight Championship to Bandido at last year’s AEW Dynasty pay-per-view.
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As fans geared up for “Dynamite” in Winnipeg, Canada, Jericho’s music hit before the contract signing between Maxwell Jacob Friedman and Kenny Omega.
“Winnipeg … AEW … I’m home,” he said before walking out of the ring.
Jericho didn’t make any other declarations or call out anyone on the AEW roster. But his presence was felt in the city where he grew up.
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There were months of speculation over Jericho’s future after he had been off AEW programming. Some pro wrestling fans were hoping he’d make a surprise WWE return at the Royal Rumble or another premium live event for the company.
But that didn’t turn out to be the case.
Jericho joined AEW in January 2019 and was a part of the company’s inaugural event, Double or Nothing. He is the first AEW world champion in the company’s history. He also held the FTW Championship and is a two-time Ring of Honor world champion.
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Restaurants warn tipped wage changes could raise prices, cut jobs, reshape dining experience
The restaurant industry in a major city is pushing back hard on a key issue.
Mayor Brandon Johnson of Chicago last week vetoed a City Council effort to freeze the city’s tipped wage system — and leaders in the restaurant sector are warning the decision could lead to job losses, higher prices and lasting damage to one of its most visible economic indicators.
Gina Barge-Farmer, who owns Chicago’s Wax Vinyl Bar and Ramen Shop with her husband, said the tip credit system supports the traditional full-service dining model.
“The tip credit is the reason full-service restaurants exist as they do,” she told Fox News Digital. “It’s what allows a server to earn real money and a guest to have a real experience — not a number on a screen and a counter to pick up from.”
AMERICANS ARE FED UP WITH TIPPING CULTURE AS NEARLY 9 IN 10 SAY IT’S COMPLETELY ‘OUT OF CONTROL’
Without it, she warned, the math quickly breaks down.
“Prices go up, service thins out or both,” she said, noting that customers are unlikely to absorb higher costs without changing their behavior.
“They go out less often, which is not just one restaurant losing a table here and there,” she said. “That’s an entire dining ecosystem gradually contracting.”
Supporters argue the model sustains full-service dining and higher earning potential for workers — while critics say it leaves wages too dependent on tips.
RESTAURANTS MAY BE QUIETLY INFLATING YOUR TIP — AND DINERS ARE STARTING TO NOTICE
Industry leaders say the mayor’s move ignores economic realities already facing restaurants.
“Every restaurant worker is already mandated by law to make the minimum wage in Chicago and across Illinois. This veto is completely misguided,” Sam Toia, president and CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association, told Fox News Digital in a statement.
“It will eliminate jobs, reduce take-home pay for restaurant workers and cause irreparable damage to the vibrant restaurant industry in each of Chicago’s 77 communities.”
Toia and others had supported the council’s effort to halt the phase out of the tip credit, arguing it would give restaurants time to adjust amid rising costs.
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Mike Whatley, vice president of state affairs and grassroots advocacy for the Washington, D.C.-based National Restaurant Association, told Fox News Digital that the City Council’s earlier vote to stop the process “continues the national bipartisan momentum in support of the tip wage.”
Said Whatley in a statement, “We are disappointed that Mayor Brandon Johnson is threatening to continue the policy that is causing his city so much pain.”
Johnson said at a news conference last week that his veto “is really about us keeping our commitment to working people,” FOX 32 in Chicago reported.
He also said he was proud “to stand here to resist every single attempt to undermine workers in this city,” Chicago’s PBS affiliate WTTW reported.
Fox News Digital reached out to the mayor’s office for further comment.
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Chicago passed the One Fair Wage ordinance in 2023, designed to eliminate the tipped wage structure gradually until it matches the city’s full minimum wage by 2028.
The city’s current minimum wage is $12.62. It’s set to increase to the city minimum of $16.60 by 2028, FOX 32 reported.
Raise the Floor Alliance, a Chicago nonprofit that advocates for lower-wage workers, said in a March 18 news release that keeping the sub-minimum wage “sets a dangerous precedent that when labor groups come to the table and make good-faith compromises with business groups — including a gradual phase-out plan — corporate interests will take advantage and renege on their word.”
Barge-Farmer, the restaurant owner, said restaurants operate on thin margins with little room to absorb sudden labor cost increases.
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“When labor costs rise significantly, something gives — shifts get cut, roles get eliminated or the entire model gets reconsidered,” she said.
Most tipped employees aren’t asking for a change, Barge-Farmer said.
“Some hear ‘higher minimum wage’ and think it sounds like a win, and honestly, on the surface, it does,” she said.
“But the people who are truly great at this job — the ones who hustle, remember names, build regulars and carry a section like it’s their own small business — chose this system precisely because it rewards that kind of effort. They’re betting on themselves.”
She also said top performers could wind up earning less under a higher base-wage model.
“Wage floors don’t always lift everyone up. More often, they compress the ceiling,” she said.
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It will take 34 votes for the City Council to override Johnson’s veto, WTTW reported.
That effort is expected to take place April 15.
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