Raleigh, N.C. — A 6-month-old boy who suffered severe brain damage after being violently shaken two weeks ago has died, police said Monday. Child abuse charges against his father have been upgraded to murder.

Christopher Scott Childers Jr., 5 months old at the time, was injured in the early morning hours of Jan. 21 and transported to WakeMed, where he died Sunday. His father, 28-year-old Christopher Scott Childers, of 216-B E. Lenoir St., was originally charged with intentional child abuse.

He was being held in the Wake County jail under a $50,000 bond Monday. A warrant charging him with murder had been served, but a judge had not yet considered whether to raise his bond. He is scheduled to make his first appearance for the murder charge Tuesday at 2 p.m. He will also be in court Feb. 13 at 9 a.m. for the child abuse charge.  

In a 911 call, a woman identifying herself as the child's mother said she and her husband woke up and discovered the boy wasn't breathing.

"He's not awake. He's not responsive. Oh God, please help me," the woman said.

The infant lived in a downtown Raleigh apartment with his mother, Childers and another adult. That roommate, who did not want to be identified, said he never saw Childers lose his temper.

A downstairs neighbor, however, said she frequently heard banging and yelling coming from the apartment.