A Georgia family is demanding answers after a police officer fatally shot their cherished pet donkey during an overnight search for a missing child, who was later located safely at a nearby church.
Hannah Israel, 30, said the incident unfolded around 12:45 a.m. Sunday in Rockmart, Polk County, when officers entered her family’s pasture without advance notice while searching the area and encountered HeeHaw, the family’s baby donkey.
In a Facebook post, Israel said officers told the family that HeeHaw came toward them while braying, prompting them to believe they were in danger. She said they first attempted to use a Taser before shooting the animal. “HeeHaw was shot and killed in his OWN pasture for doing what donkeys do. Alerting to a stranger,” she wrote, adding that she did not believe the shooting could be lawful.
Israel said she plans to pursue legal action as her family calls for accountability and justice for HeeHaw.
A photo taken after the shooting showed Hannah Israel grieving beside her dead pet donkey. (GoFundMe)
Sharing her grief online, Israel described the loss as devastating, writing that HeeHaw was like a son to her.
In another emotional post, she questioned where animals are truly safe if her “own baby” could be killed in his own home.
A post-shooting image showed Israel crying over the donkey’s body, with HeeHaw lying motionless on the ground, his eyes still open.
“He would normally be standing right over there talking while I’m talking because he thought he could talk like a person could talk,” Israel told 11Alive.
“Every time he saw somebody, he would run up and bray,” Israel said. “And then do a really goofy sound, and because he loved people, and he thought he was a person. He slept in my bed for the first three months of his life,” she added.
The Cedartown Police Department said the officer who shot the beloved baby donkey has been placed on paid administrative leave.
The Cedartown Police Department said the officer who shot the beloved baby donkey has been placed on leave. (GoFundMe)
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“The Cedartown Police Department has turned over the investigation of the animal shooting to the Georgia Department of Agriculture Law Enforcement Division for investigation and placed the officer involved on paid administrative leave while this investigation is ongoing,” the department said in a statement.
Cedartown Police Chief Jamie Newsom said body camera footage exists and he has viewed it, according to 11Alive.
“That search took them to the incident location where this very unfortunate and heartbreaking event occurred,” Newsom said, according to the outlet.
Newsom said he understands the heartbreak that the family and the community is facing after the donkey’s death.
“They’re members of the human family, and I am too, and heartbroken,” he said.
Hannah Israel vowed to take legal action as she demanded justice for HeeHaw. (GoFundMe)
The Georgia Department of Agriculture’s Law Enforcement Division was at Elsberry Farm on Monday investigating HeeHaw’s death.
Israel created a GoFundMe to help cover legal costs related to HeeHaw’s death. She said any donations left over would go toward the farm, care of the animals and a future HeeHaw foundation. She has raised more than $113,000 as of Tuesday morning.
“My bottle baby donkey ‘HeeHaw’ was killed in his own pasture on Saturday night by trespassing cops,” she wrote on the fundraiser. “He was a loved member of our family and did many petting zoos and made many people smile.”
She said she hired a lawyer but stressed that donations left over after legal costs would not be used for personal needs.
