we've been updated by the director of the cincinnati zoo of the shooting death of a gorilla at the cincinnatioo yesterday and we will have more news coming up later. >>> the congo, it's one of the most perilous countries in africa, torn apart by poverty and civil war, armed rebels still terrorize the region. tonight, we travel deep into the congo to focus on another struggle for survival, a rare endangered until recently unknown population of inapes, almost impossible to see. richard engel sets out for the bili forest to find them. >> reporter: it's not often you travel to a war zone to find a sanctuary. that's exactly what we're doing. we're headed to a patch of tropical forests in the congo few dear to visit one of the most dangerous and remote places on earth. the forest is also home to some of our closest relatives. they call them the mystery apes of bili. it's taken a long time to get here and bring them to you. a motorcycle can only take you so far in this remote corner of eastern congo. pretty soon it was time to start hiking into the 12,000 square mile forest. we were following the le

gun violence in cincinnati is a problem. it is a big problem. number of people that are incarcerated in here have shown violence in some way shape or form. >> most of the 1300 men in the jail are only charged with crimes and awaiting trial or the resolution of their cases. male inmates charged with murder are held in four separate units known as murder pods. it is possible some of these inmates will never be on the streets of cincinnati again. but david bell has found a way to bring a little bit of the streets to them. >> this is right here is the cincinnati version of monopoly. >> it's actually the street version. there is some drugs, some drug sales going on. >> knees the chance cards. breaking news. drive by reported. don't know how many got hid. each one of them came up off 2,000 dollars. police on your as, go go go. collect 500. >> bell has been in jail for three years. awaiting charges for attempted murder, aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary to which he has pled not guilty. >> there's only one get out of jail free card and that's s

i have worked with the cincinnati zoo.hey're one of the greatest conservation organizations on the planet. this is one of the country's most important urban zoos. millions of school kids living in an inner city environment connect with nature through the zoo and brought back a species on the brink of extinction. these are great folks. i would find it hard to believe they wouldn't employ every level of compassion and expertise to find an alternative. and who's to say what would have happened and how he would have reacted if something else had occurred? >> and that's the thing. you know, we were talking about it. >> i can't say it or think about it. >> yeah. we would be having a very different conversation. >> of course. >> if this ended differently for this 3-year-old. >> you asked the key question and jeff provided the key answer and glad to hear it from him. despite the emotion of oh my god this beautiful, majestic animal killed, the reality is we don't know what the gorilla may or may not have done in an instant. therefo

abc's alex pearl rrez is in cincinnati. >> reporter: tonight, cincinnati police confirmed they are investigating whether the 3-year-old boy's family properly supervised him in the moments before he fell exhibit. the boy's mother can be heard screaming as the horrifying ordeal unfolded. >> mommy loves me. >> reporter: the first call came in at 3:52 p.m. saturday. >> a child has fallen into the gorilla cage. >> reporter: authorities say the child climbed over the barrier, plunging 15 feet into the moat. the 450-pound gorilla cornering the boy and picking him up. at one point, the little boy moves away from the gorilla, but is pulled back towards him. he later props him up from behind and dragging him all the way to the other side of the cage. at 4:01, the zoo's emergency response team makes a decision to shoot and kill the gorilla. officials say a tranquilizer dart would have taken too long. the boy rescued two minutes after that shot was fired at 4:03. a similar incident at an illinois zoo in 1996 saw a very different outcome. a gorilla cradling this 3-year-old after the zoo believes the gorilla

. >>> and the cincinnati zoo offering sympathy, but no apologies for killing a gorilla to save a little boy. hear what officials are saying forced them to take action. >>> good morning. welcome to "early start." i'm christine romans. >> nice to see you. it is tuesday, may 31st. the secret service springs into action for bernie sanders. four protesters tried to storm the stage in oakland. secret service stepped in to protect the candidate. watch here. >> step away. right there. right there. >> we're good here. >> we don't get intimidated easily. >> one of the protesters was picked up and carried off with the hands cuffed behind his back. bernie sanders was fine. he carried on with his stump speech. it is unclear who the protesters are. this is always scary. as for the campaign, one week left until the california primary where sanders expects a strong showing will prove he is a viable candidate. >> this is not the first time candidates faced security threats. last friday, trump's motorcade sped off after protesters threw things at it in fresno, california. in march, a man trumped a barric

>>> serious questions for zoo officials in cincinnati. an endangered gorilla is shot and killed to save a boy who climbed into their enclosure. we will tell you why zoo officials say that force was necessary. hard to watch. welcome back to the holiday edition of "early start." i'm christine romans. >> i'm alison kosik. happy memorial day. it's 30 minutes past the hour. tropical storm bonnie slammed into the carolinas wrecking the holiday weekend for many with heavy rain and widespread flooding along coastal south carolina and now bonnie is heading north. our team coverage begins with cnn's jennifer gray in south carolina. >> reporter: christine and alison, what is now left of what was tropical storm bonnie being stubborn across south carolina. stalling out leaving flooding rains across the areas in the state. sunday, portions of i-95 completely shutdown. as we know, i-95 is the major interstate that a lot of people use to get to the coast. with it memorial day, lines of traffic with people stuck in cars for hours as they slowly exited the

the city of cincinnati put together a plan to comply with the epa. epa accepted it and discovered they could do it for 40% less and still meet all of the goals. the epa refused to reopen the issue. as a result, you have people who will pay hundreds of dollars a year in extra utilities in a city where people don't have that kind of disposable income. just because the epa will not go back and reopen the process and allow the city of cincinnati to do it less expensively, more efficiently. so if you talk about regulation stifling local economies and taking money out of your pocket, as a presidential candidate you should know about this issue with the metropolitan water district and why it is costing hundreds of millions dollars more than a shed and why the money will come out of the pockets of the constituents. cap the economic issue, the economic argument much more personal. there's a much greater economic connection. that is what barack obama did in 2008 and 2012. he learned about this fabulous organization, the fabulous network of people across the co

going on to say, we extend our heartfelt thank for the quick action by the cincinnati zoo staff.now this was a very difficult decision for them, and that they are grieving the loss of their gorilla. >> the zoo says its barriers are adequate and officials are looking at whether there are ways to improve. elaine, the zoo hopes to reown the gorilla exhibit by this weekend. >> a lot of strong feelings about the story. thank you. >>> sharks are suspected of attacking swimmers on both coasts this holiday weekend. that's next. >>> germany was hit with deadly storms over the weekend. rain triggered furious flash floods that swept away cars and most everything else in the path of the rushing water. at least four people have died. >>> some 36,000 verizon workers will be back on the job wednesday ending a nearly seven-week strike. unions and the company reached a tentative contract deal over the weekend. it includes nearly 11% raises over four years. verizon retreated on efforts to cut pensions and send call center jobs overseas. beach-goers on both coasts fell victim to suspected shark att

chris. >> blake mccoy in cincinnati.>>> up next, we'll turn back to the race for the white house. libertarians picking their ticket. is this the moment for them to move into the mainstream? i'll speak with the vice chair of the libertarian party, next. you've finally earned enough reward miles on your airline credit card. now you just book a seat, right? not quite. sometimes those seats are out of reach, costing an outrageous number of miles. it's time to switch... to the capital one venture card. with venture, you'll earn unlimited double miles on every purchase, every day. and when you're ready to travel, just book the flight you want, on any airline and use your miles to cover the cost. now that's more like it. what's in your wallet? can give you ans advantage.gether like trubiotics with immune support advantage. its unique formula supports immune health in two ways. with probiotics that work in your gut. and antioxidants that work throughout your body. trubiotics from one a day. before it became a medicine, it was an

did the cincinnati zoo make the right debate? but the right activists say the parents of the boy bear some responsibility for this incident. let's bring in cnn's jessica schneider live from us from cincinnati. hi, jessica. >> hi, allison. a lot of debate and controversy surrounding the zoo's decision and the parents' action or potential inaction. the zoo's director saying he's refusing to place gablame and calling out the so of h called monday morning quarterbacks. >> we did not take the shooting of harambe lightly. >> reporter: the cincinnati zoo standing behind the zoo killing the gorilla harambe. after a 3-year-old boy fell roughly ten feet into this moat st. coming face to face with the 450-pound 17-year-old silverback. >> this child was being dragged around. his head was banging on concrete. >> reporter: outrage continues to grow over the decision to shoot. the anger spreading online, a change.org petition garnering 300,000 signatures demanding authorities investigate the little boy's parents for not watching their child. th

no comment today from officials in cincinnati. the group born free usa says since 1990, there have been more than 100 incidents of animals injuring humans, including at least 15 deaths at accredited zoos. >> our fence right here -- >> reporter: in miami, zookeepers stress enclosure guidelines are in place to keep everyone safe. >> all zoos are going to be reevaluating their barriers right now. >> reporter: back in cincinnati, tonight the investigation is under way, with the exhibit set to reopen saturday. miguel almaguer, nbc news. >>> deep in the heart of texas, the water is rising tonight. unrelenting rain has led to historic flooding there. neighborhoods swamped, residents on the run, and the water-weary region is bracing for yet another onslaught. gabe gutierrez with more from south texas. >> reporter: this part of the brazos river has never creeped this high, cresting this afternoon, flooding homes, displayinging families. the devastation stretching for miles. >> my family told me to get out. the water was about this much fro

what is the real story on the tragedy at the cincinnati zoo?sparked a polarizing national debate. it all began saturday whether zoo coopers decided to shoot and kill a rare gorilla after a 4-year-old boy fell into that gorilla's habitat. some animal rights activists say the ape was trying to protect the boy and blamed the zoo for not having safer barriers. others are blaming the boy's parents and even suggesting they should face criminal charges. a national geographic explorer is with us, and eric is a criminal defense attorney. the one question i am hearing a lot from people on social media is why didn't they just tranquilize the gorilla? >> well, i'm sure that would have been the solution that everyone wanted. however, for the little boy, that would have been incredibly dangerous because a tranquilizer dart hurts. once that gorilla feels that ouch, his response is to become more agitated and more stressed out. the tranquilizer doesn't take immediate effect. all you would have is an even aeng g angrier and more confused gorilla are still more

many of them were talking about that incident at the cincinnati zoo. >> that's right.s mark segraves reports, people had some mixed reaction to it. he's live outside the national zoo for us tonight. mark? >> reporter: yeah, that's right. you know what happened in cincinnati, those kind of incidents are rare and don't happen very often at all. here at the national zoo they do have gorillas. they're kept in the ape house behind glass walls seemingly impossible for people to make their way into that pen, but the lion's den here is similar in that there is a fence and a moat barrier. someone did try to jump over the fence a year ago. the video is dramatic. a mother's cry to her son can be heard. as others watch frightened and amazed. the gorilla is sceeen hovering over the 4-year-old boy and then dragging him through the water. zoo security kills the 400-pound endangered silverback gorilla. >> there must have been a better way, but there wasn't. >> reporter: this father said he would have taken action. >> i would have jumped in there. yeah. there's no way. i would have got

did the cincinnati zoo make the right decision to shoot the gorilla? it is our nbc washington flash survey this afternoon. you can call or text the number on your screen. you can also vote on the nbc washington facebook page. >>> everything changed for a local state trooper after a scary crash while he was on duty. how he fought for his life and why he has so much to be thankful for this memorial day. >>> admit it. on a hot day you don't really appreciate the air-conditioning until it goes and quits on consumer reporter susan hogan found the this you can dong great time for a shiny floor wax, no? not if you just put the finishing touches on your latest masterpiece. timing's important. comcast business knows that. that's why you can schedule an installation at a time that works for you. even late at night, or on the weekend, if that's what you need. because you have enough to worry about. i did not see that coming. don't deal with disruptions. get better internet installed on your schedule. comcast business. built for business. >>> wednesday, that's the

it wasn't rampaging through this cincinnati city like king kong.just being an animal minding its own business that found itself in a terrible predicament. >> and in an enclosure that was not his choice, either. which i think a lot of the critics are saying. this is an example of enclosures not working but then on the flip side, thousands of kids and people learn about gorillas. they don't have the opportunity to go into the lowlands to see them for themselves. one other issue about what you just said. the way that zoo keepers can entice gorillas, there's been a lot of criticism that they have many different methods to try to entice a gorilla, perhaps away from some behavior. do you see an opportunity that was missed here? i would never quarterback this but others have. are they legitimate criticisms? was there another way to get this child separated from the gorilla? >> i think right now, a lot of folks that work in this community are soul searching and heart wrenched from what has unfolded here. as to what you said about the enclosure where these

. >>> now to the scare at cincinnati zoo after a little boy fell into the gorilla closure. the terrifying moments were captured on video. >> oh my god. >> go down -- >> okay, everybody back up. >> reporter: tonight a young boy recovering after coming face-to-face with a 400-pound goril goril gorilla. for more than ten minutes onlookers including the boy's mother watch in horror after authorities say the 4-year-old crawled through a barrier at the cincinnati zoo gorilla exhibit making his way through the bushes and plunging ten feet below. >> the child has fallen into the gorilla cage. >> reporter: you can see the gorilla's left arm make contact with the boy in the shallow water. the boy scoots back, the gorilla lifts him up and swings him across the water. >> the gorilla rushed the boy, but did not hit the boy. he almost was guarding the boy with protecting him. >> reporter: with the animal holding the boy between his legs, a zoo worker takes him, shooting and killing the endangered 17-year-old silver back gorilla. rescuers rushing in, pulling the boy to safety. >> the rest

i've not seen the gorilla exhibit at the cincinnati zoo for a long tilg time. but i guarantee you that the incredible staff will reevaluate this and try to do everything they can to ensure it doesn't happen again in the future. it's very hard to ensure against human error. and i think that they will reevaluate all of that. it doesn't take away from the tragedy that's happened. but hopefully we can all learn something from it. >> ron mcgill, thank you so much. obviously it is a delicate balancing act when you're fwauk trying to protect and preserve these endangered species and of course weighing that against the needs to protect people who are there who are trying to appreciate that. so ron, we appreciate your time. thank you so much. >>> we are also tracking severe weather across the country today. parts of the east coast on high alert after a tropical depression makes landfall causing heavy rain and flooding. these are images in south carolina, just submerged in water. this is to the west. dramatic search effort in kansas, this is for an 11-year-old boy, swept

cincinnati police confirming that there is a criminal investigation underway.one saw this 4-year-old boy falling into this gorilla enclosure in cincinnati. they criticize. others have criticized the decision to shoot and kill the gorilla harambe. others are questioning the zoo and enclosure protection. what about this and where this all stands. quickly with the panel. steve? >> well, i think we may learn more about where the blame should be apportioned in the coming days. as to the question of whether to shoot and kill the gorilla. this is a no brainer to me. i don't understand the debate. when you saw the child being felonned around like a rag doll. it may be sad they had to kill the gorilla. there is no question it had to happen. i believe the zoologist to ho said if we tried to tranquilizer him earlier it could have antagonized him more and further jeopardized the life of the boy. it's sad you had to lose the gorilla. >> overshadowed a much more important story yesterday that is the sacrifice of our men and women. i didn't like the idea everywhere i turned y

a 4-year-old boy is recovering at home today after falling into the gorilla exhibit at the cincinnati zoo. >>> a 4-year-old boy is recovering at home today after falling into the gorilla exhibit at the cincinnati zoo. we're getting the first look at the cell phone video of the terrifying scene. >> reporter: witnesses captured this chilling moment inside the cincinnati zoo's gorilla exhibit when the 17-year-old gorilla grabbed a 4-year-old child. >> you heard a splash and people are yelling, there's a boy in the water. there's a boy in the water. >> reporter: kim and her family watched in disbelief. the primate grabs the little boy across the enclosure. harambe looked as if he was trying to protect the boy. >> i don't know if he thought we were coming in but then he pulled the boy down further away from the big group. >> reporter: o'connor said she heard the 4-year-old saying he wanted to jump into the gorilla's habitat. the boy's mother also tending to several other young children. >> the little boy himself had already been talking about go in, go in, get in the water and his mother i

cincinnati de castigo con cuatro cuadrangulares en seis entradas. la pelota terminÓ descansando en el segundo piso. esta entrada conectÓ dos cuadrangulares. los yanquis de nueva york estÁn en la lista de lesionados por 15 dÍas al jugadore de 40 aÑos. vamos con la fotografÍa de instagram que enviaste a w bonillatv. aquÍ aparece con playera de otra vez durmiendo con el enemigo, no le alcanzÓ a toluca. marÍa leticia: gracias william. leÓn: retiran del mercado. sin dudas porque contienen algo mÁs que nutrientes. cerveza estrella jalisco presenta. (musica de mariachi) ♪ ♪ cerveza estrella jalisco. esto es mexicanidad. ♪ ♪ guillermo: de vamos al anÁlisis de lo que sucede en todo el paÍs. la corriente de vientos mÁximos que viene desde el sur acompaÑa el mismo movimiento de la baja presiÓn, en las lluvias van a provenir, no trae descenso de temperatura. tambiÉn fuertes vientos para valle central y hacia el sur el panorama se va a mantener asÍ imposibilita desde que se mantenga seco. lluvias a partir de los prÓximos dÍas. temperatura cercana al promedio. le

coming up, outrage after this tragedy at a cincinnati zoo. >> it is simple. publice was an adequate barrier on the facility, we would not be standing here. why the zoo says it's facilities a backlash for the parents who allow the child to crawl in the enclosure. the new increase set to take effect tomorrow. a major social media change when it comes to hate speech and why the policy will help in the war on terror. morning noon or night there's always a moment to discover visit annapolis and create your moment announcer: you are watching abc 7 news at noon, on your side. jummy: backlash is growing against the cincinnati zoo after an endangered gorilla was shot and killed when slipped into its enclosure. zoo officials are defending their actions and maintain the sue is safe. some of this video may be disturbing. "screaming" the cincinnati zoo under fire, following its decision to put down her ron bay -- harambe. after authorities say a three-year-old boy climbed over a barrier and plunged 15 feet into the moat. with his mother watching in horror from above. >> t

. >>> cincinnati, ohio has been going through a revitalization.ith the two towers that make up the city's jail serve as a reminder that it can still be a dangerous place. most of the 1,300 inmates at the hamilton county justice center are only accused of crimes and awaiting trial and resolution of their cases. and many say there is one factor that ties cincinnati crime together -- guns. >> the gun violence is out of control. you can be here one day and be gone the next. >> everybody i know has a gun. it is like baseball courts. you trade them, sell them. collect them. >> i see it all over the news, i mean, how bad it is with the guns and everything. it's dangerous out there. >> for deandre kelley the issue of gun violence couldn't be more personal. >> two of my kids, my oldest and my youngest are gone, by gun violence. and i'm telling everybody now. if you got a gun, you young, put them down. because you don't want to be like me stuck in here. i went from being a family man to the worst man everybody think of. accidents happen. but this is one i w

. >>> the cincinnati zoo says it had no choice. the only way to save a young boy who slipped into a gorilla habitat was to kill the grill a. the enjoy home and doing fine. the family issued a statement thanking the zoo. zoo officials are heartbroken and devastated. brian webb is here in new york. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. while zoo officials are heartbroken, animal rights advoked are outraged, believing the killing was unnecessary and the boy's parents should be filed. no charges will be filed. the incident was caught on video by a woman who said the zoo did the right thing. the little boy is barely visible under the gorilla, 15 feet below his mother. for a moment it seems like harumbe is protecting him until -- [ screams ] >> oh, my god! >> reporter: kim o'connor shot the video and was near the boy and his mother before hearing a splash in the moat. >> the little boirks i'm going to go in. no, you're not, i'm going nog, no, you're not. the other turns to her other children -- >> reporter: the 4-year-old climbed thro

is a story that has everyone talking as outrage grows following gorilla harambe's killing at the cincinnati zoo to save a toddler. >>> mother nature continues with more storms on the way and eight lives lost in just the past few days. >>> a prominent republican promises to reveal a new candidate to take on the gop front-runner. >>> a nasty case of road rage in florida goes terribly wrong and paying a speeding ticket about 22,000 pennies. >>> the splash brothers take game seven and win over the thunder. "early today" starts right now. good morning to you. i'm dara brown. it's a story americans cannot stop talking about and cincinnati's zoo officials defend their decision to kill an endangered silverback gorilla. we also learn cincinnati police have no plans to file charges against the parents of that boy despite the outcry they be held responsible for the gorilla's death. nbc has the latest. >> reporter: outrage over an incident at the cincinnati zoo when a 3-year-old boy fell into the gorilla enclosure on saturday. for 10 agonizing minutes people watched, including the boy's mother who crie

a four-year-old boy trapped inside the cincinnati zoo in the clutches of that 400 pound gorilla. the boys mother reassuring him from above. the railing. >> i'm not sure she could have reacted and done anything at that point. he was there and that he was gone. the mother later posted this on facebook. >> accidents happen, but i'm thankful the right people were in the right place. the post has since been delete it. democratic candidate bernie sanders campaigned last night in fresno ahead of next week's california primary. california senator dianne feinstein says it is time for bernie sanders to drop out. donald trump plans to announce the recipient of $6 million he helped raise for veterans after skipping a gop debate. just about a year ago, this man was shot to death. he was a deputy counsel to new cuomo's development. he was caught in the crossfire between two rival groups. has arrested a man charged with second-degree murder and other offenses. an explosive package sent to a corrections officer has investigators trying to find a suspect. the package went off outside his home in

and the cincinnati police had no plans to file charges against the boy's parents. nbc's blake mccoy has the latest. >> reporter: outrage over an incident at the cincinnati zoo. when a 3-year-old boy fell into the gorilla enclosure saturday. for ten agonizing minutes onlooks watched including the boy's mother who cried out the him. at one point the 420 male silver back named harambe dragged the boy through the water. >> mommy loves you! >> reporter: zoo officials opened fire, killing the gorilla and rescuing the boy. zookeepers defended their decision. >> naturally, we did not take the shooting of harambe lightly. but that child's life was in danger. >> reporter: a fire storm, people upset that the gorilla was killed. many blame the boy's mother, who runs a day-care center. many are urging she be charged with negligence. in a facebook post, the mother defended herself. as society, we are quick to judge how a parent could take their eyes off the child. i keep a tight watch on my kids. accidents happen. a subsequent statement thanked the zoos for the acten. >> just be

we 100% support the cincinnati zoo's decision. it was an animal we loaned to them. can't take chances with an animal like that. at the end of the day, there is no single animal life more important than that of a human life, especially a child. >> when we think about the gorilla world exhibit at cincinnati zoo been there more than 40 years, barriers never breached before. now, we have this being the second incident in recent weeks an animal is killed after a human entered the enclosure. what do you think zoos could do better in the future to prevent the circumstances of incidents like this occurring. certainly all zoos will be re-evaluating the barriers, i can tell you that for a fact. we're doing it at zoo miami and all zoos are doing it now. at the end of the day, it's very difficult to secure owisomethin against human error or human intent. we try our best and look at our barriers and make sure a child not meaning any malintended thing do not breach those barriers. >> do we have to re-look at what it means to have animals in c captivity in the united states? there

he was raised in the cincinnati zoo. lowland gorillas are an endangered species. critics of how the situation was handled have created a facebook page for the gorilla. so far it has received more than 41,000 likes within hours. the person who created the page says its purpose is to raise awareness for the gorilla's murder. >>> all right, to the weather now as we take a live look at the conditions outside. you can see oracle arena in the distance. another beautiful, warm day around the bay area. let's go to bill martin in the weather center with the latest on the forecast. >> it was warm out there. these are the highs we achieved. 80 in vallejo, 93 in fairfield, one of the hot spots. highs tomorrow will be warmer. you saw the flag blowing in that live camera julie was talking over. the winds are blowing briskly on shore. it's much cooler in pacifica and half moon bay. there's twin peaks. you see the fog being capped down like that. the cooling influences don't get inward into the valley. so temperatures with the continued stunting of the fog back against the hills,

i don't know the situation in cincinnati.g to tell you that nothing is easier in our country. we have a beautiful thing and educate people and do it in a safe way. we can't protect everything all the time. if anybody in this country can tell you, any recreational thing, musical parks, water parks, zoos, then somebody's telling you a fib because we try our best with safety first. >> what's the lesson to be learned for other parents? >> well, for me it is with children, you obviously have to watch children in a shopping center, a water park. we do the best we can again. the advice to parents, the zoo is one of the safest places you can go in the world visit a zoological park. it's one of the safest places to go. watch your kids. we have children in most zoos 3 to 12 years old that come to our summer camps. we have several hundred that come to our summer camps and see the zoo. we're monitoring the kids all the time. every second. i'm sure that the mother did the best she could. i don't know, i wasn't there. >> jack hanna. a trag

doctors at a cincinnati hospital treated and released the boy just hours after the incident.an web, for cbs-3, "eyewitness news". >> now the zoo says it is reviewing security around the enclosure, cincinnati police say they do not plan to charge the mother. >> tropical depression bonaci to blame for more than a foot of rain in part of south carolina flooding neighborhoods, and partially shutting down interstate 95. first responders used boats to rescue people stranded in their homes. the forecasters say the storm could bring up to 3 more inch every rain in the next couple of days. >> so now we are getting slammed by that same rain, not exactly great weather for memorial day. >> not at all. katie, will the whole day be a wash out? because i have plans. >> so here is the thing. it feels basically like we have just all moved and transplanted ourselves to the tropics, when you walk out the door, it is so incredibly muggy outside. such a moisture-laden air mass, that, guys, i feel like could you see rain almost at any time. because it is such a moisture laden air mass, when it doe

the cincinnati zoo did what they had to do. we have the safety of our people first, safety of our animals, and safety of our employees all come together. when you have to make a decision like this there is not one second to delay. if you tranquilize and hit that animal with a dart, what would you do? when we research in the wild, looking at animals in the wild you may tranquilize an elephant and that i thank you jump. that gorilla could have taken them apart in a second. they are a beautiful animal, don't get me wrong but they did the right thing and in a split second. if not you would have had another tragedy on your hand. >> a lot of people may ask how did the child end up in the gorilla habitat. what we learned is he had to go under a rail, went through wires and he dropped 15 feet in to the mote. we do know a couple of female gorillas were able to be called out of that habitat but this male gorilla would not leave and instead approached the child. as you look at the video you say you can tell on his face he was angry. what

they don't talk about fact that, for instance, in cincinnati the epa is requiring the city of cincinnatito separate their sewage system from their storm drain system. it's a very expensive project. this is something that they've been doing with other cities around the country as well. these are older cities that had sort of a merged system, and they want them separated out. the city of cincinnati put together a plan to comply with the epa, the epa accepted it, and after that they discovered they could do it for about 40% less and still meet all of the epa's goals, and the epa refused to reopen the issue. so as a result, you have people who are going to pay hundreds of dollars a year in extra utilities costs in a city where people don't really have that kind of dispose able income just because the epa are not go back and reopen that process and allow the city of cincinnati to do it, you know, less expensively, more efficiently. so if you're going to come in and talk about regulations stifling local economies and taking money out of your pocket as a presidential candidate, you should know

. >>> zoo officials in cincinnati facing serious questions after they made the call to kill a gorilla to save a boy who climbed in. was the use of force necessary? what zoo officials are saying. welcome to a holiday edition of "early start." i'm christine romans. >> i'm alison kosik. it is monday, may 30th, memorial day. tropical storm bonnie slams into the carolinas wrecking the holiday weekend for many with heavy rain and widespread flooding along coastal south carolina. now bonnie is headed north. whose memorial day will bonnie disrupt next? we have jennifer gray in south carolina. >> reporter: this is what is left of tropical storm bonnie. practically stalling out leaving flooding rains across some areas in the state. in fact, portions of i-95 completely shutdown. that is the major interstate that a lot of people use to get to the coast. with it being memorial day, lines of traffic with people stuck in cars for hours as they slowly exited the interstate and had to detour around the flood. conditions are expected to improve over the next couple days. however, on and off showers cou

cincinnati has one of those gas can bullpens. they lead the league in giving up runs out of the pen. cueto not very good, giants victory. 10,000 on hand to see them play the seattle mariners. a chilly night in oakland. chris davis is going to hit a bomb to bring the a's within a two run. davis is the sixth home run of the season. jed lowrie, 4-3, seattle peaks the a's. stephon curry not playing tomorrow, still holding out hope for game three in portland. the media is pressing, it's a 22-year-old guy in between 20 -- tweets a question.>> he's not playing tomorrow, -->> the warriors, san antonio and oklahoma city go beat up each other for seven games. back in the series, dion is pushing to nobly, san antonio down by one. it should of been a file, spurs ball instead. the spurs get this deal anyway and no. greg popovich not happy. 98-97. the spurs lose at home. that series is tied at a game apiece. lebron james, he is going to star in the space jam movie. remember michael jordan, a few years ago. cavaliers win 104-93. lebron wanted m

great zoo, cincinnati. >> all right. us now is ron mcgill, communications director for zoo miami. good to you have on the phone. let's talk about how the child was able to get into the enclosure. what do you think happened? >> i don't know. you know, i have not seen that gorilla enclosure specifically so i don't know. it's thoord secure something 100% from human error. i'm sure the folks at the zoo will evaluate the enclosure and the possibility of something like this happening again to make sure it does not. >> let's talk about scenarios like this. are zoos often trained for situations in which they have to make decisions tlik in a short amount of time. walk us through the thought process that your experts are trained to make those decisions in. >> okay. put it simply, we have a team, a shoot team that is trained that goes on to monthly range training with the rifles. they are trained for dangerous animals. and whenever the case comes up, where ab an animal is threatening the life of a human being that, threat has to be

and cincinnati police tell abc news they are not filing charges. marci gonzalez, abc news, cincinnati. >>> and a very scary moment for airline passengers in tampa. their united flight to houston had to be aborted as it was taking off because a tire on the boeing 737 blew and started a fire. there were no injuries, and the 131 passengers were bussed back to the terminal. their replacement flight finally left seven hours later. >>> road rage is being blamed for a wild hit-and-run caught on camera in florida. a driver appeared to deliberately mow down two people on a motorcycle after a confrontation on a tampa street. the bikers were arguing with the driver because he had cut them off a little earlier. it took police about five minutes to catch up with the driver. the injured bikers were taken to the hospital. >>> and an incredible sight in south asia. the rescue of a baby elephant caught in a storm drain in sri lanka. no one is sure how the pint-sized pachyderm became snared. it happened in a port city where hundreds of elephants roam freely. port wo

others say cincinnati made the right call. now there are dozens of petitions online, hundreds of thousands have signed, calling for justice for the gorilla. how the parents could have let it happen and asking for the police and child protective services to investigate parents. a spokesman for the parent said, "we extend our heartfelt thanks for quick actions by the cincinnati zoo today. we know this was a difficult decision and they are grieving the loss. we hope that you will respect our privacy at this time." no indications prosecutors will pursue charges against the parents. roz plater, abc 7 news. jonathan: still ahead severe weather outbreak. dramatic rescues and the places where the damage is horrible. uchelle: seeing bars jonathan: a terrifying video in new york city after a crash left this tractor-trailer literally dangling over a bridge. one person was taken to the hospital with the non-life-threatening injuries. amazingly, he walked away. the driver of the truck climbed down to safety. the way the truck was set up, i

at the cincinnati zoo.view we'll determine if charges need to be forward. we would then discuss wit the hamilton county prosecutor's office. now, the prosecutor's office releasing nearly an identical statement refusing to say what they're investigating, only saying that they'll release the details of this to the media when the whole investigation is complete. and again, no exact time line on that either. you would presume that the police have to interview witnesses. maybe look at some video and find out exactly what happened. all we know is what we have seen in the short time frame of video and sure police will dig deeper. brooke? >> we sat here joey jackson on the show for 45 minutes, listened, hung on every word of the zoo director there in cincinnati saying we've had it for 38 years. no issue. >> no breach. >> looking into it now and then said do you know 3-year-olds? like, this is what happens when you blink and a 3-year-old is climbing up somewhere and dropping over. what would the charges even be? >>

. >> social media is buzzing about the killing of a gorilla at the cincinnati zoo the a four year oldot into the habitat saturday. a boy dropped down into the gorilla exhibit. zoo keeper protect the child. some people believe the gorilla was actually trying to protect the little boy. >> sarah simmons is here with the zoo's explanation. >> reporter: a large gorilla looming over a young boy in the cincinnati so after he fell into the encloser crawled into it rather. the boy was in it for about 12 minutes panicked onlookers shouted stay wall. it appeared the gorilla was carrying for the boy but the gorilla was also seen dragginging him through the shallow moat. a lot of blame being put on the parents. a witness saw the boy fall say she heard him say he wanted to get in the water the mother was with several other children and told him no. people are outraged. change.org petitions circulation asking for the so and child protective services to hold the parents responsible. the so chose not to chatties the parents. they say it was adult and sad day for them they had no choice than to kill th

and police in cincinnati say this mother won't face charges either. they say there is no evidence of a crime. the gorilla exhibit could reopen as soon as this weekend. >>> verizon workers now have a new contract and will return to work tomorrow. union workers have been on strike for nearly seven weeks. the new contract adds about 1,000 new call center jobs and pay will go up 11% over the next four years. employees will vote on the deal after returning to work. >>> holds on long and that one hits bryce. >> that got him square. >> ouch, you could hear that pitch that hit bryce harper. it was an 88-mile-an-hour fastball, struck the mvp on his knee last night. the team says it's only a bruise, but we're still waiting to find out how harper is feeling and whether he willl against the phillies tonight. game begins at 7:05. only a bruise, but this is an 88-mile-per-hour baseball hitting you in the knee. >> i find that hard to believe. just a bruise? i mean, he walked away. it's not broken, but wow. >> they would have had to carry me off. >> children would ha

a no-win situation for the cincinnati zoo. you wouldn't want to see what you would see, he guarantee it would have happened. i have been living with these things, going to rwanda. i have had a home there. these are mountain gorillas but still the same species but i'm telling what you now what would have happened. i don't think any of us would be sitting on the phone saying the cincinnati zoo did the wrong thing. >> the fact that this little boy could climb under the barricade and drop into the enclosure, should that have happened? >> well, that's a very good question. if you actually take the zoo world and the billions of visitors, billions of visitors go, millions of employees. take a 20-year period and look at it, you will see there are fatalities and injuries. we'll be at the very top of safety of water parks, amusement parks, ride parks, going to maybe even who knows what kind of games and sports. we can only do so much. our safety is our number one priority in the zoo world. safety of our visitors, of our keepers and our

of the child that fell into the gorilla enclosure at the cincinnati zoo. animal was shot and killed. this was caught on camera. a warning some of the video you're about to see may find disturbing. here's elizabeth hur. a community in mourning honoring the 17-year-old silver back gorilla was killed following a scare. the 4-year-old boy in the clutch of the 400-pound primate the boy's mother reassuring him from above. at one point he makes icontact with the boy -- eye contact with the boy holding his hands and sweeping him across the water again. within ten minutes the zoo's response team shot and killed the gorilla. >>> you're dealing with life human life or animal life here. whales the decision, i think it's simple to first thing that out. >> reporter: this morning, and experts coming to the zoo's defense amid growing anger and outrage while -- why the animal was not tranquilized. the an eye witness said everything happened quickly after the boy crawled under the steel railing and making his way through bushes and falling 15 feet into the moat. >>> i'm not

>>> a life or death situation in an the cincinnati zoo. >> a boy managed to sneak into guerrillaxhibit. the zoo says killing the animal was the only option but not everyone agrees. ellison barber has the story life -- live. >>> reporter: this zoo is 400 miles away from the cincinnati zoo but still every visitor knew exactly what happened over there. >> i have seen the vi deo. >>> reporter: a 400 pound gorilla harambe is sitting in front of a four-yr-old boy, moments later he is dragging him by the ankle.>> his head was banging against the wall as he was climbing up, so that is the part that people didn't see.>> roughly 10 minutes after he landed, zoo workers shot and killed the critically endangered gorilla and know what sparked all kinds of debate.>> he was a nc city of cincinnati. >> i believe that is the parents mistake. they should take care of their kids so it is unfair.>> if it was happening to me i would want them to save my child.>> you find the parents-- give the parents a fine. >> they say they did not have a choice, a tranquilizer would not work and the risks were too

. >>> comings up a controversy at the cincinnati zoo.he zoo's director is defending their decision to kill a gorilla who had a four year old boy in his grips. what he says he has seen the gorilla do that proofs the boyro was in grave danger. >>> panic at the beach a 13 year old goes bit by a shark whileile waiting in shallow water why experts say these type of attacks can be more common this summer that's ahead. ahe >>> here is president obama laying a wreath at the tomb ofat the unknown on this memorial day. we'll be right right back. >> wow hard to watch. >> this is the story the w entie country is buzzing about today. growing out age rage over that r bell incident at the zoo. a 17 year old girl shot together of the -- the boy crawled under a barrier before dropping into a moat into the gorilla exhibit he was in there for about 12 abo minutes. panicked onlookers shouted stay calm while a woman yelled mommy loves you. >> some witnesses say it appeared the gorilla wasoril carrying for the boy trying to protect him. they had no choice but

we extend our heartfelt thanks for the quick action of the cincinnati zoo staff. we know that this was a very difficult decision for them and that they are grieving the loss of their gorilla. the gorilla exhibit remains closed. zoo officials expect it to reopen next week. jay gray, nbc news. >> we've been asking thoyou to weigh in on this controversy. so far most of the people who have answered the pollay no, they did mark segraves visited the national zoo today and found a variety of opinions there. >> reporter: this cell phone video shows what happened after the 3-year-old boy made it through the fence and into the goril gorilla's pen falling into the moat. the endangered gorilla named harambe can be seen thrashing the small boy through the water as the boy's mother can only watch and comfort the helpless child. zoo officials shoot and kill the goril gorilla, rescuing the boy. >> i think it was very sad that there wasn't more protection for the gorilla if people accidentally fell in. >> reporter: parents were shocked. >> oh, my god. they did save the baby. >> re