Cincinnati gorilla prosecutor: The nastiest, most idiotic emails we got were from Europe
Joe Deters told Ohio radio station that Europeans were 'beside themselves’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The prosecutor in charge of the Harambe gorilla shooting at Cincinnati Zoo said the “nastiest” emails sent for an “idiotic” reason came from Europe.
Joe Deters, who investigated the mother of the three-year-old boy who fell inside a gorilla enclosure, told 700WLW radio: “Europe are beside themselves."
“The nastiest emails we got were from Europe," he added.
His comments came just one hour after he held a press conference to announce that the child’s mother would not face any charges.
Mr Deters added that the emails from Europe were sent due to an “idiotic reason”.
“They think the gorilla should not have been taken out, but for the safety of that three-year-old, it had to be,” he said.
A vigil for the gorilla was held shortly after he was shot dead at Cincinnati Zoo.
Anger was quickly turned on the mother and the zoo staff, accusing the mother of not keeping a close watch on her children and the zoo for raising a gun too quickly.
The prosector, who has over 25 years of experience, said he had never seen such a reaction to a case.
Everyone was looking for someone to blame, he explained.
Mr Deters was investigating a possible child endangerment case after the mother of four “turned her back for a moment” and one of her children slipped over a low barrier and into the gorilla enclosure.
After falling 15 feet, the child was dragged around in the water by Harambe the gorilla, but remarkably was not hurt. The gorilla was then killed by zoo staff.
At the press conference, Mr Deters said he questioned “some folks'” moral equivalence of human life and animal life.
“It’s wrong,” he said simply.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments