CINCINNATI (AP) – An Ohio prosecutor plans to release his decision Monday on whether he will pursue charges against the family of a 3-year-old boy who got into the Cincinnati Zoo’s gorilla exhibit, leading to the fatal shooting of an endangered gorilla to protect the child.
Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters has scheduled an afternoon news conference, in which he’s expected to discuss his conclusions after a review into the family’s actions.
Legal experts have said that prosecution on child endangerment or similar charges seems unlikely. The family has declined to comment.
The zoo says it was the first such breach in Gorilla World’s 38 years of existence, but the exhibit will reopen Tuesday with a higher, reinforced barrier. The boy apparently climbed over the barrier May 28 before falling about 15 feet into a shallow moat.
A special response team shot and killed the gorilla, 17-year-old Harambe, after concluding the boy’s life was at stake.