Toy monkeys, flowers and notes have been placed on the fence in front of a chimpanzee refuge on Hwy. CC south of Festus in memory of Suzy, a chimpanzee shot to death by a 17-year-old neighbor last week.
Owners of the chimpanzee, Mike and Connie Casey of Festus, said the memorials being placed outside their home on Hwy. CC help ease the pain of Suzy's death. Connie Casey has been raising chimps for 30 years.
"People just don't understand," she said. "They are like family. I don't think I could be hurting any more if it was my kids."
"I begged him and begged him don't shoot them," Connie Casey said. "The chimp he shot, I already darted her (with a tranquilizer). It's just like cold blooded murder."
The 17-year-old who shot the chimp lives two houses from the chimpanzee compound, Capt. Rich Stevens with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department said. The teen told Jefferson County Sheriff's Department investigators he feared for his safety before shooting the chimpanzee three times, including a shotgun blast to the back and another to the face.
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Department is investigating the shooting that took place about 6 p.m. Thursday, April 19. When completed, reports will be sent to the prosecuting attorney's office to determine if criminal charges will be filed.
Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney Robert Wilkins said he has received many phone calls from people concerned about the shooting.
"We are asking people to write a letter and we will put it in the file," Wilkins said.
Wilkins said the teen who shot the animal could face a charge of animal abuse or property damage.
"But I don't want to speculate at this point," he said. "I haven't seen the report yet."
Chimpanzees are federally protected endangered animals.
Mike and Connie Casey operate the Missouri Primate Foundation, a chimpanzee retirement sanctuary for pets and performance animals that are no longer wanted. They have 22 chimpanzees and are licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture. The Caseys also operate Chimparty, taking chimps to parties and other gatherings to provide entertainment and education. They also provide chimpanzees for advertisements, television and movies.
The chimpanzees are kept at a compound at their home on Hwy. CC.
Suzy was a 28-year-old chimpanzee. Connie Casey had owned her for 17 years. The chimp weighed about 115 pounds.
On April 19, Connie Casey said, she cleaned cages and when she put the chimpanzees back in their cages, one lock wasn't completely closed. Three chimps, Suzy, CoCo and Gabby, escaped.
"I tried to get them back," Casey said. "I tried to coax them back."
After a short time, Casey decided she should use a tranquilizer dart to bring in the chimps. She went in the house to get the tranquilizers.
"I guess they started looking for me," Casey said.
The animals wandered. First they stopped at neighbor J.C. and Joan Wills' house.
"They came up on the front porch with me," Joan Wills said. "They weren't being aggressive at all."
Wills said she tried to keep the chimps on her porch until Connie Casey could get there. But a car pulled into the driveway next door.
"There were three boys and a girl in the car and the radio was blaring," Wills said.
The chimps were attracted to the music.
"I told them to stay in the car and turn the radio down and stay calm," Wills said.
She said the teen agers rolled down the windows and started shouting at the chimpanzees.
Capt. Rich Stevens with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department said the teens told investigators that the chimps surrounded the car and began rocking it, and that they were frightened. They drove the car to the rear of the house, and the 17-year-old went inside.
In the meantime, Connie Casey arrived at the neighbors' house and darted Suzy with a tranquilizer.
"The neighbor's dog came out and charged at the chimpanzee," Stevens said. "The dog took a bite out of one of the chimpanzees and the chimpanzee apparently took a swing at the dog."
Stevens said the teen came out of the house with a 20 gauge shotgun.
"Fearing for the safety of his animal and the people in the car, he shot the lead chimpanzee," Stevens said. "He shot three times, hitting all three times."
Suzy was starting to get groggy by the time she was shot by the teen, Connie Casey said.
"When I saw him come out with a gun, I said, 'God, please don't let him shoot her,'" she said.
"I was begging him, 'Don't shoot them. We've got it under control,'" she said.
After Suzy was shot, the other two chimps gathered around her and didn't want to leave.
Casey said the teen ager went into the house to reload and then threatened to shoot the other chimps.
"He kept saying he was going to kill them," Casey said. "I'm trying to stay between him and the chimps. They didn't want to leave Suzy."
Casey was able to load Suzy's body into the back of a pickup truck to take her home. "The others followed behind," she said. "They were not going to leave her."
Wills didn't see the shooting. One of the chimps, CoCo, had wandered into her back yard and she followed the chimp to make sure he didn't get too far away.
"I heard the gunshots and thought surely he didn't shoot any of them. It was not necessary at all," Wills said. "It was senseless and didn't have to happen."
Wills said the chimpanzees do not cause problems in the neighborhood. "One got out about eight years ago, but that's the only time I can remember," she said.
The next day, Casey said, the chimpanzees were "super quiet." "I guess we are all kind of in shock or mourning."
Mike Casey, who was out of town for a television commercial with another of the chimps last week, said they are pleased with the memorial that has started on their fence. They placed a photograph of Suzy with the other remembrances.
Click to read past Leader coverage on the events that led to "Chimp Crazy."
