A Cedartown officer is on paid leave as Georgia agriculture law enforcement investigates the killing of 1-year-old HeeHaw.
ROCKMART, GA — The owner of a 1-year-old miniature donkey fatally shot by a police officer during an overnight search for a missing child is mourning the animal she raised by hand while demanding answers about why officers entered the pasture and why deadly force was used.
Hannah Israel said HeeHaw, a bottle-raised donkey at Elsberry Riding and Farm in Polk County, was killed early Sunday while officers were searching the area for a missing 12-year-old girl. Cedartown police have confirmed that one of their officers shot the donkey and have placed the unidentified officer on paid administrative leave. The department has turned the shooting investigation over to the Georgia Department of Agriculture’s Law Enforcement Division.
Israel said she received a phone call from police around 12:45 a.m. informing her about what had happened. She said officers had entered the family’s pasture without asking permission or giving advance warning. Police have confirmed officers were in the area assisting Polk County police with the search, but officials have not publicly released a detailed account of how officers entered the property or the events immediately before the shooting.
According to Israel, officers told her HeeHaw ran toward them while braying and that they believed they were in danger. She said officers also told her they tried to use a Taser on the donkey before he was shot. Those details have largely come from Israel’s account of what she said police told her. Officials have not publicly provided a full explanation of why the donkey was considered a threat or why the officer decided to fire a gun.
Israel said the behavior described to her would not have been unusual for HeeHaw. She said the donkey was accustomed to people and often approached visitors while making noise. He had been bottle-fed from birth, spent time inside the family’s home and participated in petting zoos at the farm and elsewhere in the community. Israel described him as deeply attached to her and said he regularly followed her around the property.
“We’re very traumatized and shocked,” Israel told Atlanta News First. She said HeeHaw had celebrated his first birthday only a few months earlier. Israel said she viewed the donkey as far more than livestock because of the close bond formed while she raised him. She said the farm now feels noticeably different without an animal that had become part of the family’s daily routine.
Israel also questioned what happened after the shooting. She said family members had to search the property for HeeHaw and eventually found his body in a pasture. She has hired a lawyer and said she intends to pursue legal action. She is also calling for stronger police training and clearer procedures for officers who enter farms or other properties where they may encounter livestock or domestic animals.
Cedartown Police Chief Jamie Newsome has expressed sympathy to the family and said he wanted an outside state agency with relevant expertise to review the case. The Georgia Department of Agriculture’s Law Enforcement Division is now handling the investigation. Police have not publicly identified the officer who fired the shot, and no final findings about whether the shooting complied with department policy or state law have been announced.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office separately said its deputies were not involved in the shooting. The sheriff’s office said the agencies involved in the search were the Polk County Police Department and the Cedartown Police Department and offered condolences to the family. Cedartown police said the missing girl officers had been looking for was later found safely at a church near the pasture.
The shooting has drawn widespread attention online, where supporters have called for accountability and contributed to a fundraiser established by Israel to help with legal costs. The fundraiser collected tens of thousands of dollars within its first days. Israel has said money not needed for legal expenses would go toward animal care and a planned effort honoring HeeHaw. The amount raised has continued to change as the campaign attracts more attention.
For now, several key questions remain unresolved, including the precise sequence of events before the shooting and what the officer perceived as HeeHaw approached. The state investigation remains active, the officer remains on paid administrative leave, and Israel says her family will continue seeking answers about why the animal they raised was killed in his own pasture.
Author note: Last updated September 1, 2026.