Hopewell father charged after 5-month-old hospitalized with shaken baby syndrome injuries

HOPEWELL, Va. — A Hopewell father is behind bars without bond after his 5-month-old son was hospitalized with injuries consistent with shaken baby syndrome, police said.

Officers were called to a motel in the 4900 block of Oaklawn Boulevard near Interstate 295 just before 11 a.m. Sunday after a report of an unresponsive child.

"The initial call was an unresponsive child, and that the father had initiated CPR," Hopewell Police Lt. Israel Perez said.

The infant was first taken to Tri-Cities Medical Center before being transferred to VCU Medical Center. Detectives worked with medical staff to determine what happened inside the motel room.

"It was determined the child had received some injuries that were not medical emergency injuries, but he had received them from someone," Perez said.

Court documents obtained by CBS 6 show that 22-year-old Nathan Scott Travis-Nunnally told someone the baby was "crying so much that he could not take it." Police say the injuries are consistent with shaken baby syndrome.

"We do believe the father was the person responsible for what happened to the infant," Perez said.

On Wednesday, Hopewell Police charged Travis-Nunnally with two felonies.

"One was for child neglect. The second was for malicious bodily injury," Perez said.

Travis-Nunnally is being held without bond. Police said additional charges are pending.

Perez said the scene took a toll on the first responders who arrived.

"This situation, unfortunate as it was, does affect first responders, not just law enforcement, but the responding medical that arrived on scene," Perez said. "They were distraught, they were mentally affected by this scene — an innocent child in that condition," Perez said.

Peer support and counselors have been made available to those who responded.

Family members have established a GoFundMe for the baby, Skottie, and his family.