BOSTON -- A New Hampshire couple described the horror Thursday of going to Sea World to celebrate their son's 10th birthday this week, and then witnessing a 12,000 pound killer whale drag a veteran trainer to her death.

Todd and Suzanne Connell, of Somersworth, N.H., said they and their son Robby watched and videotaped a noontime show at the park featuring the whale, Tilikum, as it performed tricks. They had lingered to get a few extra shots when the whale pulled veteran trainer Dawn Brancheau, 40, to her death.

"She was laying down, rubbing him, playing with him, kissing him and then it was like, within a matter of seconds, all of sudden he turned and grabbed her by the head, and a very hard thrust ... she went down and I screamed and she screamed," Suzanne Connell said.

Suzanne Connell said she immediately screamed at another nearby trainer to do something.

"I said, 'He just took her down, he took her down.' And I knew it wasn't a playful act," Suzanne Connell said.

The other trainer began banging a yellow box to distract the whale, then ran to sound an alarm, she said.

"She was under for a good three minutes. It seemed like forever. And then (the whale) brought her up, down farther, down the other end of the tank ... and her face was ... you could see the fear in her. And then he just took her back down and it must have been 5 or 6 minutes," Suzanne Connell said.

The Connells weren't sure what happened to Brancheau, but other visitors watching the scene from the underwater tank told them the whale shook her around "like a rag doll."

"It happened really, really quick," Todd Connell said. "I just kind of froze and watched the whole thing happen."

Suzanne Connell said her heart went out to the other trainers who worked with Brancheau. Todd Connell said the whale had been very calm and docile and he can't believe it meant to hurt Brancheau.

"The interaction with her and the whale was very loving and caring ... I think he was playing with her ... maybe he wanted her to go in with him and play with him. My gut feeling was it didn't feel vicious," he said.

The couple said the trainer was not in the water but was kneeling on a platform that extended into the water. Their initial reaction was surprise and shock.

"You're sitting there, within arm's reach of a girl, and she's talking to you and explaining things, and then she's dead an hour later," Suzanne Connell said.

The killer whale shows were suspended indefinitely in Orlando and at the park's San Diego location. The park said it will review the incident and determine what kinds of precautions need to be taken in the future to ensure the safety of trainers.

"We've had millions of interactions safely with our animals. Our track record is 46 years long and we've never had an incident like this with one of our killer whales," said Chuck Tomkins, curator of zoological operations at Sea World.

Tilikum has been involved in two previous deaths. In 1991, it was one of three whales that dragged a Canadian trainer under water, killing her. Tilikum was also involved in the 1999 death of a man who had sneaked past Sea World security and was found draped over the animal.

Tomkins said he disputes accusations made by animal rights activists that killer whales should not be kept in captivity.

"Forty-six years ago, nobody knew about killer whales. They were shooting them. And it's because of places like Sea World that we know more about these animals," Tomkins said. "Should we have Tilikum? Absolutely. That's how we learn about these animals."

He said the park's plan is to "continue to take care" of Tilikum.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration office in Atlanta is investigating the Florida incident.