A police officer in Cedartown, Georgia, fatally shot a family’s one-year-old miniature donkey named HeeHaw on August 30, while assisting in a search for a missing child in Polk County. The officer has been placed on paid administrative leave, and the Georgia Department of Agriculture’s Law Enforcement Division is investigating the incident.
The shooting occurred around 12:45 AM on August 30, 2026, in a pasture belonging to Elsberry Riding and Farm along Grady Road near Rockmart. Owner Hannah Israel said officers entered the property without prior notice or permission while looking for a missing 12-year-old girl.
According to Ms. Israel, HeeHaw, a bottle-raised pet who participated in local petting zoos and nursing home visits, approached the officers while braying. Officers allegedly attempted to use a Taser on the animal before one fired a gunshot that killed him.
Ms. Israel described HeeHaw as highly socialized and part of the family. ‘He was raised in the house and did petting zoos; he never knew a stranger and was shot and killed in his own pasture for doing what donkeys do – alerting to a stranger. We are heartbroken; he was my son,’’ she said.
She later said the family searched the dark with flashlights for about an hour to locate the donkey’s body after police had left the scene.
Cedartown Police Chief Jamie Newsome confirmed that one of the department’s officers, who was responding to a request for assistance from Polk County police in the missing-child search, shot and killed the donkey in its pasture. ‘It is with a heavy heart that I report a Cedartown police officer shot and killed a donkey that was in its own pasture,’ Mr. Newsome said in a statement.
The missing child was later found safe at a nearby church. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office stated its deputies were not involved. The Cedartown Police Department has turned the animal-shooting investigation over to the Georgia Department of Agriculture Law Enforcement Division.
The officer involved remains unidentified publicly and is on paid leave pending the outcome. Authorities have not released body-camera footage details or independently confirmed the exact sequence of the Taser attempt and shooting beyond the owner’s account and the department’s acknowledgment of the fatal shot.
Public reaction has been strong.
Ms. Israel launched a GoFundMe campaign that quickly raised well over $100,000 (reports cited figures exceeding $113,000 within days). Funds were initially sought for legal expenses, and later updates indicated some proceeds would support the farm, animal care, and a potential HeeHaw foundation.
Ms. Israel has said she has hired a lawyer and intends to pursue accountability.
Online commentary has focused on questions of whether a small, socialized donkey posed a legitimate threat justifying lethal force.