Community Rallies Around Fairfield Family Affected By Tragedy

Still reeling from the fatal police-involved shooting following a violent domestic incident that rocked a quiet and scenic section of Fairfield early Tuesday morning, the community is rallying around the family affected by the tragedy.

A GoFundMe page was launched for the Andrews family on Wednesday afternoon and more than $62,000 was raised within the first six hours (UPDATE: more than $195,000 has been raised as of 10:30 p.m. on Friday).

Christopher Andrews, 51, was shot dead outside of his Mountain Laurel Road home around 6 a.m. after police said he failed to comply with an officer’s orders to drop his weapon.

Related:

• Fairfield Shooting: Officer Who Fatally Shot Father in Violent Domestic Incident Identified
• Fairfield Cancels Vigil To Respect Family’s Wishes

The weapon hasn’t officially been identified by state police, which is conducting the investigation, but multiple reports say it was a knife.

Andrews’ wife, 50-year-old Kathleen Andrews, was listed in critical condition at Bridgeport Hospital on Tuesday and the couple’s 12-year-old son, who was airlifted to Yale-New Haven Hospital with serious injuries, also remains hospitalized.

The Fairfield Citizen reports the two oldest children, ages 15 and 13 years old, were also hospitalized on Tuesday but were released from St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport on Wednesday and are with relatives.

The GoFundMe page, which was created by Gina Paoli, lists the following message:

We know that people both near and far are looking to help this family that is dear to so many people, therefore we have set up a GoFundMe Account to off-set medical and other expenses the family will have as they recover and re-build their lives. Any donations would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your concern, prayers and generosity.

Read more, and to make a donation, visit the GoFundMe page here.

Photo via ‘Support for the Andrews Family’ GoFundMe page