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The incident occurred at approximately 12:45 a.m. on Sunday during a police search for a missing 12-year-old girl in Rockmart, Georgia.
The Incident at Elsberry Riding and Farm
According to an incident report cited by the New York Post, Trenton Garner and other officers entered the pasture at Elsberry Riding and Farm following a trail of footprints while searching for the missing child. The search party included a Cedartown Police Department K-9 handler and a bloodhound team.
Garner stated in the report that horses in the pasture spooked and ran away as officers tracked the fence line. K-9 Handler Thomasson then spotted a donkey on the side of a hill, according to Garner’s account. The officer claimed the animal began charging at them.
“The K-9 handler grabbed his Taser and aimed at the donkey, but the device failed,” Garner said in the incident report, as noted by the New York Post. “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.”
Following the shot, the donkey turned, walked up the hill, and collapsed. The missing 12-year-old girl was later found safe at a nearby church close to the pasture.
Owner Outrage and Investigation
HeeHaw’s owner, Hannah Israel, expressed profound grief and anger over the shooting, stating that officers entered her property without permission or warning and killed her pet. Israel shared photographs and video footage of the one-year-old donkey, including a clip filmed three days prior to the incident showing the animal bounding toward her.
“Cops entered my pasture searching for a missing person WITHOUT permission or warning and shot and killed my bottle raised BABY donkey,” Israel wrote on social media, according to the New York Post. She stated that the animal had been raised around people, participated in petting zoos, and did not act aggressively.
Cedartown Police Chief Jamie Newsome announced in a video statement that Garner has been placed on administrative leave. The Georgia Department of Agriculture’s Law Enforcement Division has launched an independent outside investigation into the shooting.
Timeline of Events
- Sunday, approximately 12:45 a.m.: Cedartown police officers enter the pasture at Elsberry Riding and Farm in Rockmart, Georgia, while searching for a missing 12-year-old girl.
- Sunday morning: Officer Trenton Garner fires a single shot from his department-issued Glock 17, killing a one-year-old pet donkey named HeeHaw.
- Later Sunday: Hannah Israel discovers her pet’s death and publicly denounces the shooting, vowing legal action.
- Current Status: Garner is placed on administrative leave while the Georgia Department of Agriculture Law Enforcement Division conducts an independent investigation, as confirmed by Police Chief Jamie Newsome.
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