Georgia farm owner wants justice after pet donkey killed by police
A beloved petting zoo donkey named HeeHaw, who his owner says was bottle-fed and counted as a member of the family, was killed by police at Elsberry Riding and Farm in Rockmart on Sunday.
Cedartown Police Department officers were aiding Polk County in a search for a missing child around 12:45 a.m. when an officer “shot and killed a donkey,” police said in a news release. The missing child was found at a church near the pasture after the incident, police said.
The donkey’s owner, Hannah Israel, posted to the farm’s social media page that police “claimed he ran up to them braying and they thought they were in danger.”
The incident caused uproar on social media, with commenters flooding recent posts by Cedartown police with demands for justice. A GoFundMe started to help pay for legal fees to “get justice for HeeHaw” raised more than $80,000 in 24 hours as of Monday evening.
“He was a loved member of our family and did many petting zoos and made many people smile,” Israel said in the GoFundMe.
Police Chief Jamie Newsome said he is “heartbroken” by the situation and has requested an investigation from the Georgia Department of Agriculture’s Law Enforcement Division to determine what happened. The officer was also placed on paid administrative leave while the investigation is pending, he said.
“That was a beloved animal, and it breaks my heart,” Newsome said. “I wish it had not have happened.”