Cops: 2-Year-Old Son of NFL's Adrian Peterson Killed in Assault

The 2-year-old son of NFL running back Adrian Peterson has died after the mother's new boyfriend allegedly attacked him, TMZ reports. It all started when the boyfriend—Joseph Patterson, 27—called 911 from an apartment in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to report a choking, the Pioneer Press reports. Emergency responders arrived and took the boy to hospital, where doctors said he appeared to have suffered a severe beating. Patterson was arrested and charged with aggravated felony assault and battery of an infant, which could put him away for 40 years.

And now that the child has died, prosecutors say they may file extra charges. This isn't Patterson's first brush with the law, either: Another woman, who's had a child with Patterson, claimed he threatened, choked, and punched her, but charges were ultimately dropped, the Argus Leader reports. As for Peterson, he took a day off from Minnesota Vikings practice yesterday to be with his child, who was on life support at the time. "This is an absolute tragedy," said State's Attorney Tom Wollman, "and the parents and the extended family are suffering greatly." (More Adrian Peterson stories.)