Beloved child donkey shot useless by cops who claimed to be ‘threatened by animal’
WARNING, DISTRESSING CONTENT: Police entered HeeHaw’s enclosure as part of a search for a missing 12-year-old child and shot the donkey as it approached while ‘braying’
RIP HeeHaw(Image: GoFundMe)
A beloved baby donkey was shot dead in his own enclosure by cops who “thought they were in danger”. The tiny mule, called HeeHaw, was shot by a police officer looking for a missing child on a farm in the US.
The unnamed police officer was placed on administrative leave after the shooting at Elsberry Riding and Farm in Rockmart, Georgia. Animal sanctuary owner Hannah Israel has hit out at the cops and said the tragic death has left her family “heartbroken”.
She wrote on Facebook: “At 12:45am cops entered my pasture searching for a missing person WITHOUT permission or warning and shot and killed my bottle raised BABY donkey.
The donkey was loved by locals(Image: GoFundMe)
“They claimed he ran up to them braying and they thought they were in danger and shot and killed him after trying to taser him.”
The tragedy sparked outrage online with many social media users hitting out at the police handling of the situation. One wrote: “If a cop is afraid of a baby donkey, they should have never signed up. Seek legal counsel.”
Another one wrote: “There is no way they thought they were in imminent danger of bodily harm from a tiny donkey like that.”
HeeHaw was shot dead by police(Image: GoFundMe)
Police said they were searching for a missing 12-year-old when they came across the animal. Cedartown Police chief, Jamie Newsome, told the Daily Mail he was “heartbroken” by the incident before adding that the 12-year-old was later “successfully located”.
He said: “We extend our sincere condolences to the family and everyone affected by this unfortunate incident. We understand the concern and sadness surrounding what occurred.”
A City Council spokesman said: “The Cedartown Police Department is aware that a city police officer shot and killed a donkey in the early hours of Sunday morning.
HeeHaw was shot dead in his own pasture(Image: GoFundMe)
“A Cedartown police officer was on the scene after being called by Polk County Police to assist with a nighttime search for a missing child. The child had not been found at of the time of the shooting. Thankfully, the child was later located at a church near the pasture where the donkey was killed.
“The Cedartown Police Department has turned over the investigation of the animal shooting to the Georgia Department of Agriculture Law Enforcement Division for investigation and placed the officer involved on paid administrative leave while this investigation is ongoing.
“Because of the nature of this investigation, neither the Cedartown Police Department nor any other city department can comment further on the matter at this time.”
HeeHaw was hand-reared and bottle fed by the family(Image: GoFundMe)
A GoFundMe was launched to help fund the farm and to start a foundation in HeeHaw’s name. A whopping $115,000 (£85,000) has been raised by generous online contributors so far.
Hannah says she plans to take legal action. She added online: “We will be using any donations left for the farm, care of the animals, a fund for making a HeeHaw foundation and none of it for our personal needs.
“This is not a pay day for us. Heehaws life has no monetary value. He was a loved member of our family and did many petting zoos and made many people smile.”
