-Staff reports-
Photo: Elseberry Riding and Farm
A Cedartown police officer has been placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation after a miniature donkey was shot and killed early Sunday.
A social media post from Elseberry Riding and Farm stated that around 12:45 a.m., police entered their pasture searching for a missing person and shot and killed the bottle-raised baby donkey named “HeeHaw.”
The post stated that the officers claimed the donkey ran up to them braying, and they thought they were in danger, so they shot and killed him after trying to taze him.
The post went on to say:
“HeeHaw was raised in the house and did petting zoos. He never knew a stranger. And he was shot and killed in his own pasture for doing what donkeys do….Alerting to a stranger. There is no way this is legal. I will be taking legal action.”
The officer’s name had not been released as of Sunday afternoon.
It is believed that Polk County Police were also involved in the search for the missing person.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office was not involved, and they released the following statement on Sunday:
“We would like to clarify that the Polk County Sheriff’s Office was not involved in the recent shooting involving a donkey in Polk County. The agencies involved were the Polk County Police Department and the Cedartown Police Department. We extend our sincere condolences to the family and everyone affected by this unfortunate incident. We understand the concern and sadness surrounding what occurred. We respectfully ask the community to refer to the appropriate agencies for information regarding this incident.”
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