PHOENIX — A Phoenix father has been charged with murder, accused of shaking his son who has since died.
On February 12 officers were called to a home in Phoenix where a child was reportedly not breathing.
The father, 24-year-old Andrew Pittman, met officers and told them he gave his 4-month-old son a bottle and put him down to sleep in his crib. Five minutes later, he said he found the child not breathing.
The baby was taken to Phoenix Children’s Hospital where medical professionals noted a subdural hemorrhage (bleeding outside the brain) and complications from trauma.
Evidence of an older subdural hemorrhage was also found.
Police interviewed Pittman who admitted to shaking the baby while he was crying at nap time. He said he also shook the child in December.
The child, Damian Archer Pittman, has since died from his injuries.
Andrew is now being held on a $500,000 bond for child abuse and first-degree murder.
If you suspect a child is being abused, the Arizona Department of Child Services has resources available to report the issue to a social worker. You can call the Arizona Child Abuse Hotline at 1-888-SOS-CHILD (1-888-767-2445), and will be asked for information about the child, as well as the nature of your concerns. You can also get more information from DCS about reporting abuse or neglect online.
