Family of Boy Who Fell in Cincinnati Zoo Gorilla Pit Releases New Statement

Cheryl Flaherty, of Cincinnati, left, comforts a fellow mourner who refused to be identified during a vigil outside the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Monday, May 30, 2016, in Cincinnati for Harambe, the gorilla killed Saturday at the Cincinnati Zoo after a 4-year-old boy slipped into an exhibit and a special zoo response team concluded his life was in danger. There has been an outpouring on social media of people upset about the killing of the member of an endangered species. AP Photo/John Minchillo

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“After the review, we will determine if charges need to be brought forward,” police spokeswoman Tiffaney Hardy said, CNN reported.

The family released their first statement on May 30. The boy was released from the Cincinnati Hospital Medical Center on Saturday night, the statement read, and they added he was “doing just fine.”

“We extend our heartfelt thanks for the quick action by the Cincinnati Zoo staff,” the statement read, per NBC. “We know that this was a very difficult decision for them, and that they are grieving the loss of their gorilla.”

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And as police in Cincinnati are investigating the child’s parents, federal inspectors are planning their own review. The Cincinnati Zoo says it will look into whether it needs to set up or reinforce new barriers around the enclosure.

“The exhibit is safe, the barrier is safe,” said zoo director Thane Maynard, ABC News reported. He added that federal inspectors and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums frequently check the zoo.