CINCINNATI (AP) — A prosecutor Monday announced no charges will be brought against the mother of the little boy who got into the gorilla exhibit at the Cincinnati Zoo, saying the 3-year-old “just scampered off ” as children sometimes do.
The killing of a 400- pound gorilla that was dragging the child through a moat May 28 set off a torrent of criticism online, with some vilifying the zoo for shooting the animal and others blaming the mother for not watching her child more closely.
Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said the case didn’t come close to warranting a charge of child endangerment, and he defended the mother as an attentive parent undeserving of the abuse and threats.
He said the mother had three other children with her, ages 1 to 7, and had turned away “for a few seconds” to attend to one when the boy took off.
“If anyone doesn’t believe a 3-year-old can scamper off very quickly, they’ve never had kids. Because they can. And they do,” Deters said.
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