Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

50 years ago…

November 7, 1956 – A full-grown male gorilla escapes from his cage in North Sulphur Springs and severely injures his handler before being shot to death by County Traffic Officer Lloyd Simmons. King Kong, a 230-pound gorilla known to be vicious, escaped from his cage and leaped upon Alva B. Dexter as he and Leo Carroll, the owner, neared the cage to feed him. Dexter suffered severe lacerations of the face and arms as the gorilla bit and clawed him. Officer Simmons approached within eight feet of King Kong before firing a single shot from his 9mm pistol into the gorilla’s chest, killing him instantly.

Courtesy of the Tampa Bay History Center.

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