A 6-year-old died after his stepfather beat him with a baseball bat in Bridgeport, Connecticut, according to police.
The child died Wednesday after several days spent on life support, officials said.
The child's stepfather, 38-year-old Abdulrahim Sulaiman, has been charged with murder, in addition to other charges, after being accused of using a baseball bat and beating his wife, the 6-year-old boy, and his 4-year-old brother, police said.
The little boy’s 33-year-old mother and 4-year-old brother survived, with injuries that left them hospitalized. They have since been released from the hospital.
Officers responded to a home in Bridgeport on the morning of Sept. 26 with reports of a man severely beating a woman and her children.
The first officer at the scene reported seeing Sulaiman walking toward him, with blood on his hands and arms, and muttering to himself, according to court records. A witness pointed to the suspect and told the officer not to let Sulaiman get away.
U.S. & World
Other officers found the mother and children in an apartment where they had sought refuge.
The 6-year-old was unresponsive, according to the affidavit.
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All three victims were initially taken to a local hospital, then the two children were flown to the pediatric emergency center at Yale New Haven Hospital.
When police spoke to the children’s mother, she told them that Sulaiman had been smoking "angel dust" and he had beaten her in the past.
She also told officers that he had threatened her with a gun and threatened to kill her and her children, according to the court records.
During their investigation, police watched video from the area and said it showed a baseball bat coming out of an apartment window around 9:58 a.m., then Sulaiman jumping out of the window and landing in a large trash bin.
In addition to charges surrounding the assault on the family, Sulaiman is also facing charges of assaulting multiple court marshals during his court appearances.
Sulaiman's next court date is set for Oct. 10. He is being held on a $10,000,000 bond and has been placed on suicide watch.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.
