A Georgia police officer has been placed on administrative leave after fatally shooting a family’s baby donkey while searching for a missing child early Sunday.
The baby donkey, named HeeHaw, was shot after officers entered a pasture at Elsberry Riding and Farm in Polk County around 12:45 a.m., according to local authorities and the animal’s owner.
Officers from the Cedartown Police Department were assisting Polk County police in the search for a missing child when they entered the pasture, authorities said. The child was later found safe at a church near the pasture.
Farm owner Hannah Israel said officers entered her property without permission or warning before encountering HeeHaw, a bottle-raised donkey that regularly interacted with people at local petting zoos.
“He never knew a stranger,” Israel wrote on Facebook. “And [he] was shot and killed in his OWN pasture for doing what donkeys do. … Alerting to a stranger.”
“He was my son,” she added.
Cedartown Police Chief Jamie Newsome confirmed that an officer shot the donkey during the search and said the officer has been placed on paid administrative leave while the shooting is investigated.
Authorities have not identified the officer or publicly explained what happened immediately before the shooting.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office stressed that its deputies were not involved in the incident, saying officers from the Polk County Police Department and Cedartown Police Department were conducting the search.
“We extend our sincere condolences to the family and everyone affected by this unfortunate incident,” the sheriff’s office said. “We understand the concern and sadness surrounding what occurred.”
Israel started a GoFundMe to help with legal fees. So far, nearly $100,000 has been raised. A user named “Justice For HeeHaw Solana” donated $10,000 to the cause.
“He was a loved member of our family and did many petting zoos and made many people smile,” the message read on the GoFundMe page.
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