A 24-year-old man in Prince George’s County, Maryland, has been charged with murder in the death of his infant son, police said Wednesday.
Khalil Brooks-Clarke, of Suitland, is being held without bond at the county jail, police said. He was also charged with child abuse, among other offenses.
Officers were called Saturday, at about 12:40 a.m., to the 5400 block of Morris Avenue about an unconscious infant, police said in a news release. They found the child, Kairo Brooks, inside an apartment.
Police said Kairo was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The cause of death was blunt force trauma, according to an autopsy.
An initial investigation found that Kairo’s father, Brooks-Clarke, was the only caregiver present when Kairo “sustained the fatal injuries,” police said.
Online court records show Brooks-Clarke is represented by a lawyer, but the attorney could not be located for comment. A person who answered a phone listed as belonging to a relative of Brooks-Clarke declined to comment.
“Tragically, in many cases like this, there is never an opportunity for intervention by police or other services before it is too late,” Prince George’s Police Chief George Nader said in the news release. “Infants and children, like Kairo, are among the most vulnerable members of our community and rely entirely on others for their safety and care.”
Police said in court charging documents that Brooks-Clarke told officers that Kairo was “having trouble breathing” and that he picked up the baby and shook his body when his breathing didn’t improve.
Brooks-Clarke told police that Kairo’s injuries could have been caused when he put him down “too hard” on the couch or when he placed the boy in a bathtub earlier, according to the charging documents. Detectives also spoke with Kairo’s mother, who told them Brooks-Clarke disliked when his son cried and would get frustrated.
So far this year, Prince George’s County police have investigated 66 homicides. For the first time since 202o, the annual toll will not reach triple digits.
However, December has been particularly violent. Kairo’s death was the seventh homicide in the county this month, and three of them have been domestic-related.
The county has long struggled with domestic violence, despite preventive efforts by state and local officials, who have pushed legislation, adopted policies and expanded services to protect survivors.
At a recent news conference, County Executive Aisha N. Braveboy (D) said her team worked to restore an agreement that allows the county sheriff’s office to respond to domestic violence calls in some police districts with high call volumes.
“When victims cannot speak, we must speak for them,” Nader said.
Juan Benn Jr. contributed to this report.
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