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Prosecutor: Officer Justified In Fatal Shooting Of Fairfield Man At Home

FAIRFIELD, Conn. — A Fairfield police officer was justified when he shot a local man to death who had attacked his wife and children in an early-morning rage in their home back in February, a state prosecutor said in a statement released Thursday.

Fairfield police on scene of an incident where a man was fatally shot by police.

Fairfield police on scene of an incident where a man was fatally shot by police.

Photo Credit: Meredith Guinness
Christopher Andrews

Christopher Andrews

Photo Credit: Facebook

Christopher Andrews "tragically died" Feb. 16 after confronting officers with a 10-inch knife and refusing to drop it, prompting Officer Sean Fenton to use deadly force, Stamford-Norwalk State's Attorney Richard Colangelo Jr. said in releasing his findings. 

"It is the conclusion of this State’s Attorney that Officer Fenton believed the use of deadly force was necessary to defend himself and the civilians present from the imminent use of deadly physical force," Colangelo's report said. 

Fenton acted in conformance with Fairfield Police Department Procedures and Policies and Connecticut law, Colangelo said. "The use of such force was both reasonable and justified under the circumstances," he said. 

The incident began at 5:59 a.m. Feb. 16 when the Fairfield Police Department received a 911 call reporting a domestic assault at 22 Mountain Laurel Road, the report said, citing an investigation by the Connecticut State Police Western District Major Crime Squad and the Fairfield Police Department.  

In the house, Andrews had used a baseball bat to attack his wife and two sons, all of whom survived. 

After officers responded, Andrews came out of the house with the knife in his hand, swung it around, refused to drop it and ran toward Fenton with the knife raised, the report said. He was also bleeding from his neck and wrists, which he had cut, the report said.

Dr. Angela McGuire, associate medical examiner, performed an autopsy on Andrews and found evidence of the shooting and self-inflicted stab wounds.

McGuire submitted blood specimens for toxicological testing, but the examination did not reveal any findings of toxicological significance that would explain Andrews’s actions that day.

No further action will be taken in the case on the issue of use of force, Colangelo said.

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