# Woman sues officer who shot her baby donkey

> A Georgia police officer killed a miniature donkey during a search, sparking a lawsuit over an unlawful entry and unjustified shooting.
- Title: Woman sues officer who shot her baby donkey · Newsweek
- Summary: A Georgia police officer killed a miniature donkey during a search, sparking a lawsuit over an unlawful entry and unjustified shooting. A farm owner is suing…
- Keywords: hannah israel, trenton ryan garner, cedartown police, heehaw donkey, rockmart georgia, police shooting, lawsuit, unlawful entry, animal death, missing child search, Woman, sues
- Source: Newsweek — https://newsweek.com/baby-donkey-heehaw-posed-no-threat-officer-killed-lawsuit-12449252
- Published: 2026-09-16T14:50:24+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: hannah israel, trenton ryan garner, cedartown police, heehaw donkey, rockmart georgia, police shooting, lawsuit, unlawful entry, animal death, missing child search
## Officer shoots baby donkey during search
On August 30, Georgia police officer Trenton Ryan Garner shot and killed HeeHaw, a young miniature donkey, while searching for a missing 12-year-old girl on Hannah Israel's farm in Rockmart.
## Police entered farm without permission
Officers entered Israel's enclosed pasture between 10:30 p.m. on August 29 and 1 a.m. on August 30 without contacting her, asking permission, or obtaining a warrant, the lawsuit alleges.
## HeeHaw was bottle-raised and gentle
HeeHaw was a young, small, and tranquil donkey that had been bottle-raised and was comfortable around people, including participating in petting zoos, according to the lawsuit.

> HeeHaw was raised in the house and did petting zoos and was shot and killed in his OWN pasture for doing what donkeys do.
## Officer claims donkey charged at him
Officer Garner reported that HeeHaw charged at officers on a hill, and after a Taser failed to scare him away, Garner fired one shot to protect the K-9 handler and bloodhound team.
## Owner had to search for donkey's body
Officers left the property without telling Israel where HeeHaw's body was located. She received only a call saying a donkey had been "dispatched" and had to search several acres in the dark to find him.
## Lawsuit filed in federal court
Israel filed suit on September 11 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, seeking financial compensation, punitive damages, legal costs, and a jury trial.
## Officer placed on administrative leave
Officer Garner was placed on administrative leave while the Georgia Department of Agriculture's Law Enforcement Division investigates the incident. The shooting gained widespread attention after Israel posted about it on social media.
## Key takeaway

A farm owner is suing a police officer for shooting her bottle-raised donkey without permission or warrant, claiming the animal posed no threat.