A Cedartown police officer has been placed on paid administrative leave after shooting and killing a pet donkey during an overnight search for a missing 12-year-old girl in Polk County, Georgia.
The donkey, named HeeHaw, was killed at Elsberry Riding and Farm in Rockmart at about 12.45am on Sunday, August 30, while officers from the Cedartown Police Department and Polk County Police Department were searching the property.
Police Chief Jamie Newsome said the missing child was found safely at a nearby church shortly after the shooting. The officer involved has not been named.
Newsome said he had requested an independent investigation by the Georgia Department of Agriculture’s Law Enforcement Division. He described himself as “heartbroken” over the death and said he wanted an outside agency to establish what happened.
“That was a beloved animal, and it breaks my heart,” he said. “I wish it had not have happened.”
Owner disputes police account of donkey shooting
Hannah Israel, who owns the farm, said officers entered the pasture without warning or permission while looking for the child. She said they told her HeeHaw had run towards them while braying and that they believed they were in danger.
A post published by Elsberry Riding and Farm alleged that officers tried to use a Taser on the donkey before he was shot. The allegation has not been independently verified and officials have not publicly explained why the animal was considered a threat.
Israel said HeeHaw was about a year old, had been bottle-fed and was accustomed to people. The miniature donkey had taken part in petting zoos and visits to nursing homes, according to the family.
She said it took relatives about 20 minutes to find his body because officers did not show them where he had been shot. Israel has hired a lawyer and is considering civil legal action.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office stressed that its deputies were not involved in the shooting. It said the agencies present were the Polk County Police Department and the Cedartown Police Department.
“We extend our sincere condolences to the family and everyone affected by this unfortunate incident,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
The City of Cedartown has said it is aware of the incident but will not comment further while the investigation remains active. A fundraiser established to help cover Israel’s legal costs had raised more than 80,000 US dollars within 24 hours, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
