A father is dead and his wife and three children were stabbed and slashed after a violent domestic dispute that escalated to a police-involved shooting Tuesday morning in Fairfield, Connecticut, according to police.
Authorities said they were called to a home at 22 Mountain Laurel Road around 6 a.m. because of an assault.
The man, 51-year-old Christopher Andrews, came out of the house with a weapon and confronted police.
Police said Andrews refused orders to drop the weapon. An officer opened fire, shooting and killing him. It's not clear what kind of weapon Andrews' had.
"During the response of officers, our officer did discharge his weapon," said Fairfield Police Chief Gary MacNamara. "There is one fatality involved in the incident as a result of the officer discharging his weapon and that's being investigated."
Police who rushed into the house found the Andrews' wife, Kathleen, 50, and three children — ages 12, 13 and 15 — suffering from cuts and blunt force injuries, some of which were described as serious, authorities said. Police have not released the children's names.
"With regards to weapons involved, there were some slice wounds, some stab wounds on the victims. At this point, we’re not aware of any firearms in the residence. We’re still investigating," MacNamara said.
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LifeStar airlifted one of the children to Yale-New Haven Hospital. The other two were taken to Saint Vincent’s Medical Center in Fairfield
The adults were transported to Bridgeport Hospital, where Andrews was pronounced dead.
The police officer involved in the shooting, Sean Fenton, was also brought to St. Vincent's to be evaluated.
"Officer Fenton’s quick action in responding to this incident prevented further serious injury to family members," a statement from Fairfield police said. "Per policy he has been temporarily reassigned from his patrol activities."
Fenton has been a veteran of the force since 1990.
Mountain Laurel Road is closed and traffic is being diverted onto Brookside Drive.
Fairfield police said there is no threat to the public and the scene is secure. State police and the Stamford state's attorney have taken over the investigation.
