Exodus 21:29 provides a compelling explanation, “But if the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has been warned but has not kept it in, and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned, and its owner also shall be put to death” The principle shown here exposes, omniscience, ownership, evil, and justice. It is the law of the responsibility of the owner. Simply put, the owner has ultimate responsibility for secondary causes of creation under his care.
So the oxen was given freedom, but ultimately the owner is also responsible.