Disney Gator Attack: Sheriff Says ‘There’s No Question’ 2-Year-Old Boy Is Dead
Sheriff Jerry Demings gives latest update about search for toddler dragged into water by an alligator at a Disney resort
Beatrice Verhoeven | June 15, 2016 @ 9:24 AM
Last Updated: June 16, 2016 @ 12:53 PM
WESH
A Florida sheriff said a toddler is dead after being dragged into a lagoon by an alligator at Walt Disney World’s Grand Floridian resort on Tuesday night, although no body has been found.
“There’s no question they will lose a 2-year-old child,” Sheriff Jerry Demings said during a press conference on Wednesday. “It has been 15 hours since, we are working on recovering the body of the child at this point. The ultimate goal is to bring closure to the family.”
The missing child has not been identified, but police told the Sentinel the family was vacationing from Nebraska with three children. At the time of the attack, they were relaxing on the shoreline when the alligator pounced. The father entered the water and tried to grab the child from the gator, but was not successful.
“Disney is doing everything they can to make the family comfortable during this ordeal,” Demings added. “As we have been dealing with this tragedy for the last few hours, it is somewhat of a complicated operation, because this is a man-made body of water, it is sizable body of water, and it has certain systems built in in the waterway. My divers have been in the water today … We have marine units out on the lake, they are using sonar equipment to see if they locate the body as well.”
Demings also added that eyewitnesses saw the child being taken under water and that the toddler “certainly did not survive — this is a recovery effort at this point.”
“What I can tell you is that Disney has operated for 45 years and they’ve never had this type of thing happen before,” he said. “It is Florida, and alligators are indigenous, but I want to reiterate that Disney has a wildlife management system in place, and they have worked diligently to ensure that their guests are not unduly exposed to wildlife here.”
In response to the attacks, Disney closed all of the beaches on its resort properties in the area. Authorities have trapped and euthanized four alligators to determine if any of them were involved in the attack.
So far, none of the killed alligators appear to have been involved.
“We will continue to search until we find the body — hopefully that will be today,” Demings said.
Demings said that they anticipate another press conference with updates at around 6 p.m. local time. If any updates arise sooner, a press conference will be held earlier.
Every Late-Night Host's Reaction to Orlando Shooting (Video)
Jimmy Fallon:
"Maybe there's a lesson from all this. A lesson in tolerance. We need to support each other's differences and worry less about our own opinions. Get back to debate and away from believing or supporting the idea that if someone doesn't live the way you want them to live, you just buy a gun and kill them. Bomb them up. That is not OK."
Seth Meyers:
"So much, though, of the news right now is dominated by the horrific events in Orlando, the attack on the LGBTQ community there. And so, we decided we would try to address that and, in addressing it, maybe help us all process it a little bit more, because I don't know if we can ever fully understand it."
John Oliver:
“As I’m sure you know by now, at least 50 people were killed by a gunman at a gay nightclub in what is being described as a terrorist attack. And look, it’s still early and details are still emerging, and right now, this just hurts. And the worst thing is this pain is so familiar.”
Stephen Colbert:
"You know what a president, whoever it is, will probably say. You know what both sides of the political aisle will say. You know what gun manufacturers will say. Even me, with a silly show like this, you have some idea of what I will say. Because even I have talked about this when it has happened before. It's as if there's a national script that we have learned."
Samantha Bee:
“What Paul Giamatti is to biopics, the highly profitable AR-15 is deadly mass shooting. Yes, I do want to take those guns away.”
Trevor Noah:
"The saddest part is every time this happens, it feels like America has already decided. This is exactly the kind of country it wants to be. Because we know how this always plays out: We're shocked, we mourn, we change our profile pics, and we move on. It's become normal. I'm sorry. Maybe it's because I'm new, but it's not normal."
Conan O'Brien:
“I am not a pundit, I am not an expert, and I’ve always made it my policy to stick to my job and keep my opinions to myself. I simply do not understand why anybody in this country is allowed to purchase and own a semiautomatic assault rifle, it makes no sense to me. These are weapons of war and they have no place in civilian life.”
James Corden:
"On behalf of the whole theater community and every person in this room, our hearts go out to all of those affected by this atrocity. All we can say is that you’re not on your own right now. Your tragedy is our tragedy. Theater is a place where every race, creed, sexuality and gender is equal, is embraced, and is loved. Hate will never win. Together we have to make sure of that. "
Larry Wilmore:
"Yeah, Donald, you were really ahead of the curve on the whole, 'terrorism is bad' thing. I mean, honestly, who brags about this?... It’s like your doctor saying, 'Yo, dude, I totally called it, you do have cancer.'"
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Comedians put jokes aside on Monday night to seriously reflect on deadliest mass shooting in American history, and what the country can learn from it
Jimmy Fallon:
"Maybe there's a lesson from all this. A lesson in tolerance. We need to support each other's differences and worry less about our own opinions. Get back to debate and away from believing or supporting the idea that if someone doesn't live the way you want them to live, you just buy a gun and kill them. Bomb them up. That is not OK."
