Father arrested in Tucson after infant dies of severe brain injury

TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – A Tucson man has been arrested after his young son died from severe brain injuries.

Tucson police said 28-year-old Jimmy Torre McElroy was arrested on charges of second-degree murder and child abuse.

The TPD said it began on Oct. 21 when officers responded to an apartment complex at 4809 East Pima Street after a report of a 10-month-old child having seizures.

The preliminary complaint states the child was taken to Tucson Medical Center where he was diagnosed with a fractured skull and a cerebral hemorrhage. Doctors determined that the child required emergency surgery.

McElroy allegedly told hospital staff and investigators that the child had suffered two seizures earlier in the day. According to the interim complaint, McElroy changed his story and added that the infant had fallen out of bed the night before and hit his head on either the floor or the leg of a weight bench.

The child was diagnosed with a midline shift (displacement) in his brain, a skull fracture and bleeding in both eyes. Doctors did not believe the child would survive.

On October 30, doctors said they did not expect the child to regain consciousness.

McElroy then allegedly admitted to dropping the child, causing the child to land on his head.

McElroy said that's when the child suffered a seizure and he gently shook the baby so he could free himself.

Doctors said his explanation was inconsistent with the force required to cause retinal hemorrhages.

A search of McElroy's phone records revealed that he called his mother, his girlfriend, another friend and the child's pediatrician before calling 911.

The pediatrician's office told investigators that McElroy reported a seizure and stated in the medical history that the child's mother had had a seizure.

McElroy was initially arrested and taken to the Pima County Jail on child abuse charges.

The charge was changed after investigators were notified of the child's death on Tuesday, November 5th.

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