Fairfield Shooting: Officer Who Fatally Shot Father in Violent Domestic Incident Identified

Investigators are continuing to try and piece together what happened inside the Mountain Laurel Road home that might have triggered the violent domestic assault that led to a police officer fatally shooting the family’s father in the driveway early Tuesday morning.

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.

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

Also see:

• Community Rallies Around Fairfield Family Affected By Tragedy

The Fairfield Citizen reports that despite previous published reports, no one saw the youngest child or the mother being “clubbed” by a baseball bat while they were still bed.

Police told the 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.

The officer involved in the shooting is Sean Fenton, who has been a member of the force since 1990.

Fairfield Police said that Fenton’s ”quick actions in responding to this incident prevented further serious injury to family members,” according to a Wednesday afternoon press release.

As per department policy, Fenton has been temporarily reassigned from his patrol activities.

He was also transported to St. Vincent’s Medical Center for evaluation following the incident.

Andrews’ wife, 50-year-old Kathleen Andrews, was listed in critical condition at Bridgeport Hospital on Tuesday and remains hospitalized and the Hartford Courant reports her condition has improved slightly.

The couple’s 12-year-old son, who was airlifted to Yale-New Haven Hospital with serious injuries, also remains hospitalized, according to FOX 61.

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

Police are still investigating how they sustained the injuries, according to the Citizen.

The Fairfield Police Department Detective Bureau is assisting the Connecticut State Police Major Crimes Unit and the State’s Attorney’s Office from the Stamford/Norwalk District in this investigation.

According to Connecticut General Statutes, any police involved shooting resulting in death requires the assignment and oversight of a State’s Attorney from outside the geographical area in which the incident occurred.

Fairfield police said the department is assisting in facilitating in this process to ensure full transparency.

“As this investigation continues, the Fairfield Police Department joins the Fairfield Community in praying for the full recovery of the family members who sustained significant injuries during this incident,” police said in a statement. “We are also committed to working to understand and make sense of this tragic situation.”

Photo by Al Branch