Brooklyn Park man sentenced in death of his infant son

A Brooklyn Park man has been sentenced to prison in connection to the death of his infant son.

The Hennepin County Attorney's Office said 20-year-old Derrick Johnson was sentenced to 20 years in prison. 

Johnson had pleaded guilty to unintentional second-degree murder. 

A criminal complaint states that officers were called to the 5800 block of 73rd Avenue North on Sept. 3, 2019, for a baby that was reportedly unconscious. When officers arrived, they found Johnson with his 2-month-old infant in his hands.

The complaint states Johnson told an officer the child fell off the bed while he was in the bathroom, and nobody else was home with them. It also states that Johnson told the officer, "It felt like something was moving around in (the child's) skull."

Brooklyn Park man charged with murder in death of 2-month-old son

The child was placed on the bed and wasn't breathing, and officers were unable to find a pulse, the complaint states. Officers attempted CPR, and noted the child felt cool to the touch. When firefighters arrived, they transported the child to a hospital but the infant was pronounced dead upon arrival. Doctors told police the child died between 30 minutes and two hours before arriving at the hospital.

Johnson told police he placed the child on his back on the bed and went into the bathroom for about three minutes. He then heard the child cry and saw him lying on the floor, unresponsive. The complaint states Johnson told officers he tried to give the child a bottle and called the boy's mother, but didn't call 911 for about 25 minutes.

According to the complaint, Johnson later told police the child may have hit an oscillating fan, but as family approached him, officers overheard him say he dropped the child.

However, a physician who specializes in child injuries told police the boy had a complex skull fracture that was more consistent with abuse than a fall.