A Bristol man has been charged with killing his infant son after admitting to shaking him
Tyler Sullivan's 4-month-old son had no pulse and wasn't breathing late Wednesday when police came to his home, according to court filings.
A Bristol man has been charged with homicide after police say he violently — and repeatedly — shook his 4-month-old son, leading to the baby’s death.
Tyler Sullivan, 30, has also been charged with aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child. He remained in custody Thursday, denied bail. There was no indication he had hired an attorney.
Late Wednesday, Bristol police were sent to Sullivan’s home to investigate a report of a child in cardiac arrest, according to the affidavit of probable cause for Sullivan’s arrest.
There, officers found Sullivan’s infant son not breathing and cold to the touch, the affidavit said. The infant’s skin had a blue hue, and he had no pulse, the document said. He also had visible contusions to his forehead, neck, and right thigh.
Officers took the baby to Lower Bucks Hospital, where a doctor pronounced him dead and determined that his injuries were indicative of a “battered child,” the affidavit said.
In an interview with police, Sullivan admitted to “violently shaking” his son twice on Wednesday, once in the morning and once in the evening after bathing him, according to the affidavit.
Sullivan said the bruising on the child’s body came from accidentally bumping him on a rocking chair and in the bathtub. But the boy’s mother told police she doubted Sullivan’s explanation, saying she had seen bruising on the infant that didn’t match up with what he had told her.
Sullivan is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Court Judge Frank W. Peranteau Sr. on June 7.