POLK COUNTY, Ga. — A Polk County family says a Cedartown police officer wrongly shot and killed their miniature donkey during a search for a missing 12-year-old girl.
It happened in a pasture along Grady Road in Polk County, where the family said the officer shot Heehaw on Saturday night.
Hannah Israel said Heehaw was 1 year old, the smallest of her miniature donkeys and especially close to her family.
She said she bottle fed him from the day he was born and that he was used to being around people.
[DOWNLOAD:Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
“He was very well socialized. He would go to petting zoos with the kids and adults at nursing homes,” Israel said.
Israel said officers told her the miniature donkey was running and braying at them and that an officer tried to use a Taser on Heehaw before shooting him.
“Heehaw thought people were his family and he was our family,” Israel said.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Metro Atlanta man wins $4.3 million from Morgan & Morgan after settlement dispute
- She texted her family she was grateful for trip to Nepal. Hours later, disaster struck
- Atlanta rapper sold ‘how-to’ fraud tutorials, ran $6.5 million stolen check scheme
Israel said her biggest questions are how this happened and how a miniature donkey could make an officer fear for his life.
Cedartown Police Chief Jamie Newsome said he had seen the body camera video but would not say what it showed.
“Did he say he feared for his life?” Channel 2’s Ashlyn Webb asked Newsome.
“No,” Newsome said.
“Did he say why he shot?” Webb asked Newsome.
“No. Didn’t discuss that with him because we’re giving it to a state agency,” Newsome said. “My heart goes out to the family.”
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Polk County Sheriff Johnny Moats said he has received death threats even though his office is unrelated to Cedartown police.
“If you’re like that, you don’t need to be in law enforcement because we encounter animals a lot. Vicious animals like dogs,” Moats said.
The Cedartown police chief would not talk about department protocols in this case, including whether officers have rules for searching a property for a missing person.
Israel said she plans to take legal action.