An Ohio prosecutor plans to announce next week whether to pursue charges against parents 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’ office said Thursday he is reviewing the Cincinnati police investigation of the family’s actions in last Saturday’s incident.
Deters said he’ll announce a decision on charges Monday.
Legal experts have said that prosecution seems unlikely. The family has declined comment.
The zoo plans to reopen Gorilla World on June 7 with a higher, reinforced barrier. The boy apparently climbed over the outer barrier before falling some 15 feet into a shallow moat. A special response team shot the 17-year-old western lowland gorilla to protect the boy.
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