Fairfield Father Fatally Shot In Violent Domestic Incident Was Suffering From Depression: Report

As the search for answers continues as to how this week’s fatal domestic dispute unfolded, the Fairfield father shot dead by a police officer for failing to comply with orders to drop his weapon was suffering from depression, according to the Connecticut Post.

The Post reports that Christopher Andrews, 51, was distraught over the Feb. 3 death of his mother, Elizabeth Andrews, and was still haunted by the loss of his brother Michael Andrews in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers on 9/11.

Sources also told the Post that Christopher Andrews had been taking prescription medication to help him sleep and was experiencing sudden mood swings in recent weeks.

UPDATE: Fairfield Cancels Vigil To Respect Family’s Wishes

But there has been no official word if those factors contributed to the violent domestic dispute that ended when Andrews was fatally shot by Officer Sean Fenton in the driveway of his Mountain Laurel Road home around 6 a.m. on Tuesday.

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Investigators are continuing to try and piece together what happened inside the home before police were called.

Connecticut State Police are conducting an investigation, along with the State’s Attorney’s Office from the Stamford/Norwalk District, but haven’t released any new information since its initial press release on Tuesday.

Fairfield Police are also investigating and sources told the Post that when Fenton arrived on the scene he found Andrews holding a bloody knife in his hand and ignored orders to drop the knife and stepped toward Fenton.

Fenton backed away until he was up against a snow bank and again told Andrews, who didn’t say a word, to drop the knife before finally firing, according to the Post.

Fenton, a member of the force since 1990, has been temporarily reassigned from his patrol activities per department policy.

Police officials said that Fenton’s “quick actions in responding to this incident prevented further serious injury to family members.”

The family members sustained a variety of blunt trauma injuries and stab wounds during the assault.

Police told the Fairfield Citizen that initial reports from officers on the scene indicate that the couple’s oldest son, a 15-year-old, was awoken when his father tried to strike him with a bat.

FOX 61 reports Andrews’ 13-year-old daughter called 911 and his 15-year-old son grabbed the bat away from him to prevent his siblings from being harmed further.

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 community is rallying around the family and a GoFundMe account was launched on Wednesday and donations have been pouring in ever since. More than $160,000 had been raised as of 12 a.m. on Friday.

Photo by Al Branch