Dad ordered, held in baby abuse

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WPRI) - A New Bedford father accused of child abuse is now being held and is considered too dangerous to be released.

Tristan Walker, 25, is accused of injuring his one-and-half-month-old baby boy who is being treated for a life-threatening brain injury.

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Officers were called to 361 Coggeshall Street around 5:30 a.m. July 29 in response to a child who wasn't breathing.

Emergency crews transported the 40-day-old child to Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence, where doctors began treating him for a life-threatening brain injury.

Police have already charged the boy's father, Tristan Walker, 25, of New Bedford, with assault and battery on a child with serious injury.

However, Det. Capt. Steven Vicente told Eyewitness News the those charges may be upgraded after the child's condition had taken a turn for the worse.

Walker told officers he had a party at his apartment the night before the incident and may have still been high from marijuana when he woke up to feed the baby. Walker said he was trying to burp the baby on his shoulder when the baby stopped breathing.

Police said Walker demonstrated to them how he had burped the baby, but police said the method shown didn't support the head of the child.

Police confirmed that Walker's description of the incident may be consistent with the child's injuries.