CEDARTOWN, Ga. — Cedartown Police have released an officer’s report detailing his account of why he shot and killed a family’s miniature donkey.
Channel 2 Action News at 4:00 p.m. first told you about Heehaw, a 1-year-old miniature donkey, earlier this week. He was killed in a pasture along Grady Road in Polk County while police were searching for a missing 12-year-old girl.
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Channel 2’s Ashlyn Webb obtained the report written by the officer, who has been placed on leave during the investigation.
The officer wrote that he and a Haralson County K-9 unit were searching on a hill when horses in the pasture were “spooked” near the fence line and ran away from them.
The officer stated that a donkey began to charge at him and the K-9 handler, who took out his Taser and used it on him.
“This in fact did not deter the donkey, so I removed my department issued Glock 17 from its holster and pointed it at the donkey. I then fired a single round striking the donkey,” the Cedartown officer wrote.
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Heehaw died in the shooting. When his owner got there, she told officers that Heehaw “would never act aggressive towards anyone.”
Webb spoke with the owner, Hannah Israel on Monday. Israel is planning to take legal action.
“He was very well socialized. He would go to petting zoos with the kids and adults at nursing homes,” Israel said. “Heehaw thought people were his family and he was our family.”
No charges have been filed against the officer. The Georgia Department of Agriculture is investigating.
“We take animal death investigation extremely seriously. This incident will be investigated thoroughly and impartially, and we will make an appropriate recommendation once the investigation has been concluded,” Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper said in a statement.
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