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Adrian Peterson’s Son Dies After Alleged Beating; Suspect Arrested
A 2-year-old son of Minnesota Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson died on Friday in a Sioux Falls, S.D., hospital, the victim of alleged abuse by a man dating the boy’s mother, police confirmed.
Peterson’s father Nelson confirmed Friday afternoon that the child is Adrian Peterson’s. Peterson met with the media Friday, hours before the boy passed away, and said at the time he still planned to play in Sunday’s game against Carolina, but declined to get into details about the case.
“I really appreciate all the support that I’ve been receiving from fans, the Vikings organization,” said Peterson, who was excused to miss Thursday’s Vikings practice before returning Friday. “This is a private matter and I would ask you all to please just respect my privacy and not ask at all about the situation at hand.”
Police arrested Joseph Robert Patterson, 27, who was initially charged with aggravated assault and aggravated assault on an infant. Sioux Falls police said additional charges are being considered.
Patterson has a prior domestic abuse record with a different woman and child, having pleaded guilty to simple assault in an incident last year involving an adult female and juvenile male.
Sioux Falls police said Patterson recently started a relationship with the mother of the 2-year-old victim. Patterson appeared in court Friday morning in Canton, S.D. His bond had been set at $750,000 in cash before the boy’s death.
The incident occurred in Patterson’s apartment, where the boy had recently moved with his mother. Patterson called 911 on Wednesday evening to report a choking at the Platinum Valley apartment, but Lt. Blaine Larsen of the Sioux Falls Police Department said it became clear at the hospital that the boy’s injuries were not accidental.
Sioux Falls police said the incident was initially reported as a medical emergency.
“As officers and first responders got there, they found child was unresponsive and he was taken to the hospital,” police spokesman Sam Clemens told USA TODAY Sports. “So they ended up calling police about that or letting them know. We had detectives talk to quite a few people to try to figure out what happened. What they ended up finding was that when the injuries happened there was one person with that child, and that person was Joseph Patterson.”
“The injuries they found were head injuries,” Clemens said. “It was obvious to medical staff that abuse had taken place and that those injuries weren’t accidental.”
Clemens said police believe the child’s mother was “gone for a short time, and that’s when we believe the injury occurred.”
Read more about the story and the suspect here
Source: USA Today
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