Hannah Israel has sued the Cedartown police officer who shot her baby donkey HeeHaw during a missing-child search last month.
Israel, who owns the Elsberry Riding and Farm ranch in Rockmart, Georgia, filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia’s Rome Division against Officer Trenton Garner, 23, who joined the force in 2023 and remains on administrative leave. The City of Cedartown and its police department are not named as defendants; Garner is being sued as an individual.
The lawsuit alleges three violations of federal civil rights law: unlawful entry and search, unreasonable seizure and destruction of property, and deprivation of property without due process. Israel claims Garner entered her enclosed pasture without permission or a warrant on August 29 while officers searched for a missing 12-year-old girl.
Her legal filing describes HeeHaw as “a young, small, and tranquil donkey who posed no threat to Defendant Trenton Ryan Garner or any other officer or any K-9 or bloodhound accompanying the officers.” It further contends that shooting the animal was “objectively unreasonable under the circumstances.”
Israel says she learned of HeeHaw’s death only when a Cedartown Police Department supervisor called her later and “tersely” informed her the donkey had been “dispatched.” She and a minor child were then left to search for the body themselves, according to the suit.
These allegations clash with Garner’s account in the incident report. That document states that officers entered the petting zoo area and encountered horses, which spooked and ran across the pasture. Garner wrote that a donkey was pointed out on the side of a hill, after which HeeHaw allegedly began moving toward him. K-9 Handler Thomasson reportedly drew a taser but failed to stop the animal, and Garner then fired one round.
Israel has stated she suffered financial loss, emotional distress, and mental anguish from the killing and is seeking both compensatory and punitive damages.
“Cops entered my pasture searching for a missing person WITHOUT permission or warning and shot and killed my bottle raised BABY donkey,” Israel said. “HeeHaw was raised in the house and did petting zoos he never knew a stranger.”
Shortly after HeeHaw’s death, Israel shared footage of the donkey from just days before the incident. In the clip, the young animal walks toward her and affectionately rubs his head against her as she speaks.
“Hi, HeeHaw,” Israel could be heard saying. “How are you? Good morning. Good morning, HeeHaw.”
She then called him “baby” as the donkey enjoyed the attention. Israel previously said the family was left “very traumatized and shocked” after losing HeeHaw.
The Georgia Department of Agriculture Law Enforcement Division is investigating the shooting.