Georgia police officer placed on leave after family's pet donkey shot dead during search

A police officer in the US state of Georgia has been placed on administrative leave after shooting dead a family's pet donkey during a search of their property early on Sunday morning. Officers arrived at Elsberry farm in Rockmart at around 12:45am without notifying or getting permission from the owner, reportedly while looking for a missing person.

According to owner Hannah Israel, the small male donkey, named HeeHaw, ran toward the unfamiliar visitors braying, which is typical behavior for the species. An officer, who said he felt threatened, shot and killed the animal after first attempting to subdue him with a taser, Israel said in a Facebook post.

Israel said HeeHaw had been bottle-raised in the family home, had taken part in petting zoos, and had never been aggressive toward strangers. She described the officers as trespassers on her property and said the donkey was killed in his own pasture simply for reacting the way donkeys naturally do to strangers.

Investigation and response

Cedartown police chief Jamie Newsome confirmed to local media that the officer involved had been placed on leave and that the department's command staff had opened an investigation. However, by Monday morning neither Cedartown's city government nor its police department had issued a public statement, fueling growing criticism on social media over the silence.

The only official comment came from the Polk county sheriff's office, which said its own officers were not involved in the incident but confirmed that personnel from both the Polk county and Cedartown police departments had been present. The sheriff's office offered condolences to the family.

A fundraiser launched by Israel to help cover legal costs related to the donkey's killing has quickly raised more than $35,000.