A one-year-old donkey named HeeHaw was shot dead by a Georgia police officer while officers searched a property for a missing 12-year-old girl, prompting his owner to speak out and demand answers.
What happened
According to an incident report, Cedartown Police Department officer Trenton Garner fired a single shot at HeeHaw at around 12:45am on a Sunday, while searching the Elsberry Riding and Farm ranch in Rockmart, Georgia. Officers had entered the property's petting zoo area following a trail of footprints during the search, and horses in the pasture became spooked and ran off as the officers moved through.
The officer's explanation
Garner's report states that fellow K-9 handler officer Thomasson spotted HeeHaw on a nearby hill, and that the donkey began moving toward the officers. Thomasson reportedly attempted to stop him using a Taser, but the device failed to have an effect. Garner then said he drew his department-issued firearm and fired once, striking HeeHaw. The donkey moved back up the hill before collapsing. The missing girl was later found safe at a nearby church.
The owner's response
HeeHaw's owner, Hannah Israel, has strongly disputed the justification for the shooting, describing him as a bottle-raised animal used to people through his work at petting zoos, and saying he would never have acted aggressively toward anyone. She said officers entered her pasture without permission or warning, and believes HeeHaw was killed simply for reacting to the presence of strangers, something she says is normal donkey behaviour.
Israel shared video of HeeHaw from three days before his death, showing him affectionately greeting her, and described him as feeling like her son, saying she'd expected him to live for decades and had pictured raising future children alongside him.
Where things stand
Garner has been placed on administrative leave while the Georgia Department of Agriculture Law Enforcement conducts an independent investigation into the shooting, which remains ongoing.
