A one-year-old miniature donkey named HeeHaw was fatally shot by a Cedartown, Georgia, police officer early Sunday during a search for a missing child, prompting national attention, an official investigation, and a surge of public support that has now led the animal’s owner to pause a GoFundMe campaign.
Hannah Israel, who owns Elsberry Riding and Farm near Rockmart in Polk County, said officers entered the farm’s fenced pasture around 12:45 a.m. without prior notice while assisting in the search. HeeHaw approached them while braying. According to Israel, officers first tried a Taser, then shot the donkey, saying they felt threatened. The missing 12-year-old girl was later found safely at a nearby church.
Israel bottle-raised HeeHaw from birth. He spent early months in the house, slept in her bed at times, and “never knew a stranger.” She took him to petting zoos and nursing homes.
“He was my son,”
She has said.
“He was a loved member of our family.”
Cedartown Police Chief Jamie Newsome confirmed an officer from his department shot the donkey during the mutual-aid search. The unidentified officer was placed on paid administrative leave. The department transferred the animal-shooting investigation to the Georgia Department of Agriculture Law Enforcement Division. Newsome has viewed body-camera footage but declined to describe its contents, citing the ongoing inquiry. He called the event “unfortunate and heartbreaking.”
Israel has questioned how officers entered the locked pasture and whether a socialized, people-oriented miniature donkey posed a lethal threat in its own pasture. She hired a lawyer separately and plans legal action. Specifics of the encounter, including any threat assessment and the exact sequence of events, remain under investigation and have not been independently verified through released footage or findings.
Public reaction was swift. Online calls for “Justice for HeeHaw” spread quickly. Israel’s GoFundMe, originally aimed at legal fees, raised more than $118,000 far past its $30,000 goal from roughly 1,800 donors. She later paused donations. In an update, she stated a lawyer had been retained who would not use the funds. Donors who gave specifically for legal costs could request refunds. Remaining money, she said, would support farm operations, animal care, and a possible HeeHaw Foundation not personal needs. “This is not a payday for us.”
Key questions remain unresolved: the precise justification for the use of force, what body-camera video shows, and whether department policy or state law was followed. The investigation continues.
