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CINCINNATI (AP) — The Latest on the killing of a gorilla after a child fell into its enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo (all times local):
6:15 p.m.
Police investigating after a 3-year-old boy got into a Cincinnati Zoo gorilla exhibit and was dragged around by a massive gorilla that had to be shot to death to protect him say they'll look only at actions by the boy's family and not at the shooting.
Police said late Tuesday their investigation is unrelated to the operation or safety of the zoo.
A newly released Cincinnati police report says the boy fell 15 feet into water in the exhibit and then played in it. It says the gorilla climbed down to the boy, picked him up in an apparent effort to protect him and carried him up into the enclosure.
Police say the boy was alert and talking when rescued and had only minor scrapes on his head and knee.
The boy's parents have said he's doing fine.
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1:30 p.m.
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump says the Cincinnati Zoo had little choice but to kill a 17-year-old gorilla after a boy got into its exhibit.
Trump was asked about the gorilla during a news conference Tuesday in New York. He referred to videos showing the animal at times appearing protective of the child, who got away from his mother Saturday and entered the gorilla's enclosure.
Trump says watching the gorilla with the boy was "almost like a mother holding a baby." But Trump noted that video also showed the gorilla dragging the boy through a shallow moat.
Trump acknowledged that it was "a very tough call" but says the zoo had little choice because the child's life was at stake.
The boy's family says he's doing fine.
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11:35 a.m.
A prosecutor's office says police are investigating the circumstances surrounding a 3-year-old boy entering a gorilla's exhibit at the Cincinnati Zoo and the animal being shot to death to protect the child.
The Hamilton County prosecutor's office said Tuesday that police will confer with prosecutors after their investigation is complete. The endangered gorilla was killed Saturday after the boy got into its enclosure. The boy's family has said he is doing fine at home.
Cincinnati police said over the weekend that no charges were planned. However, spokeswoman Tiffaney Hardey says police are reviewing the matter and continuing to gather information.
Some people have contended there should be child endangering charges against the parents while others want the zoo held responsible.
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This story has been corrected to show the boy is 3, not 4.
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10:40 a.m.
A federal inspector warned the Cincinnati Zoo that the public could have been "at great risk" if two polar bears that escaped a behind-the-scenes holding area in March had gained outside access.
Federal reports viewed by The Associated Press also show the zoo's Gorilla World exhibit was inspected in April, and no violations were found.
On Saturday, the zoo fatally shot an endangered western lowland gorilla to protect a 3-year-old boy who entered its exhibit. An animal protection watchdog group is calling for fines against the zoo.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service says it will "be looking into this incident."
On March 16, some zoo visitors were moved for safety after two polar bears wandered through an open den door into a service hallway.
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This story has been corrected to show the boy is 3, not 4.
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9 a.m.
An animal protection watchdog group wants the federal government to hold the Cincinnati Zoo responsible for the death of an endangered western lowland gorilla.
The Cincinnati-based Stop Animal Exploitation NOW says the U.S. Department of Agriculture that inspects zoo facilities should fine the zoo for having an exhibit in which people can gain access to animals. The USDA and Cincinnati Zoo didn't immediately respond Tuesday morning to requests for comment.
Zoo director Thane Maynard has repeatedly defended the shooting Saturday of the 17-year-old gorilla as necessary to save the 3-year-old who fell into the enclosure. He says the zoo is safe.
The watchdog group's executive director, Michael Budkie, says the zoo has had past problems. In March, two polar bears wandered through an open den door into a service hallway.
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This story has been corrected to show the boy is 3, not 4.
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6 a.m.
The director of the Cincinnati Zoo says it remains safe for its 1.6 million annual visitors despite a weekend tragedy in which a gorilla was fatally shot to protect a 3-year-old boy who had entered its exhibit.
Thane Maynard, however, said a review is underway to determine any improvements that can make the zoo safer.
The male western lowland gorilla named Harambe was killed Saturday by a special zoo response team that feared for the boy's safety. Video taken by zoo visitors showed the gorilla at times appeared protective of the boy but also violently dragged him through the shallow moat.
Maynard said the decision to kill the gorilla was the right one. He said the gorilla was agitated and disoriented by the commotion after the boy fell.
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This story has been corrected to show the boy is 3, not 4.
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