Bodycam video shows Cedartown police officer shooting donkey
A screengrab of a Cedartown police officer shooting and killing HeeHaw the miniature donkey on August 30, 2026. (Body camera footage provided by attorneys for Hannah Israel)
CEDARTOWN, Ga. - Newly obtained body camera footage shows a Cedartown police officer shooting and killing a miniature donkey named HeeHaw during an August search for a missing child.
What we know:
Body camera footage sent to FOX 5 Atlanta by attorneys shows Cedartown police officers searching a pasture at Elsberry Riding and Farm on Aug. 30 before a miniature donkey named HeeHaw approached them.
One officer fired a taser at the animal while another shot him.
HeeHaw ran off and collapsed in the field, where his owner's family searched in the dark for up to 20 minutes to find his body.
Police confirmed the missing 12-year-old girl was found safe shortly after.
The other side:
Officers initially claimed the donkey ran toward them braying, prompting them to try a taser before shooting him dead.
Officer Trenton Ryan Garner, whom the lawsuit names as the shooter, filed court documents on Oct. 7 asking a judge to dismiss the civil rights lawsuit with prejudice.
Garner's legal filing states officers entered the land around midnight while tracking a missing person with a drone and a police dog.
The backstory:
Owner Hannah Israel bottle-raised HeeHaw and frequently took him to local petting zoos.
She filed a federal lawsuit claiming officers entered her enclosed property without permission or a warrant and shot her "young, small, and tranquil" donkey without provocation.
A police evidence manager authenticated the six-minute, 35-second body camera video submitted as unedited evidence in court.
A GoFundMe for legal fees has raised over $130,000.
What's next:
Cedartown Police Chief Jamie Newsome placed Garner on administrative leave while command staff investigate the shooting.
The Georgia Department of Agriculture's Law Enforcement Division is also reviewing the case, while Garner requested the court alternative of converting the motion to a motion for summary judgment with expedited discovery focused on the encounter.
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The Source: The information in this story was gathered from body camera footage, federal court filings, and official statements provided to FOX 5 Atlanta by attorneys representing donkey owner Hannah Israel, as well as statements from Cedartown Police Chief Jamie Newsome.