'HeeHaw' the donkey shot, killed by police amid search for missing child
CEDARTOWN, Ga. -- A Georgia family's beloved pet donkey was shot and killed by a police officer.
A police officer shot and killed "HeeHaw" the donkey early Sunday morning while searching for a missing child at Elsberry Riding and Farm, Cedartown police Chief Jamie Newsom said.
Hannah Israel said she raised "HeeHaw" as if he were her own.
"He was my kid," she said. "I bottle-raised him from one hour old."
The police chief declined to say exactly what led to the deadly shooting.
"I will confirm body cam video exists. I have viewed it, but I won't comment as to what it portrays, to respect the investigation that that state agency," Chief Newsom said.
Israel believes the very thing that made "HeeHaw" so special - may have put him in harm's way.
"Every time he saw somebody, he would run up and bray, and they do a really goofy sound, and because he loved people, and he thought he was a person, he slept in my bed for the first three months of his life," Israel said.
Police said the missing child was found at a church near the pasture where the donkey was shot.
The officer is on paid administrative leave while the Georgia Department of Agriculture Law Enforcement division investigates the incident.
Israel raised more than $119,000 in an online fundraiser to make a foundation under "HeeHaw's" name.
