Suspended officer charged in death of 3-month-old daughter

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Prosecutors say a suspended New Jersey police officer has been arrested and charged with the murder of his three-month-old daughter.

The Mercer County prosecutor’s office said 31-year-old Daniel Bannister was arrested Wednesday at a convenience store. Bannister, hired as a Ewing Township officer in May 2017, has been suspended since December.

Emergency responders were called to the Bannister home Dec. 5 and found 3-month-old Hailey not breathing and in cardiac arrest. Medical personnel said she had a fractured skull and ribs, and she died Dec. 11. Prosecutors allege that the injuries “indicated an ongoing pattern of abuse.”

The child’s mother, 29-year-old Catherine Bannister, was charged with second-degree child endangerment.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether the defendants had attorneys; Daniel Bannister didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment Wednesday.