A Georgia police officer will not face criminal charges after using a Taser and fatally shooting a beloved miniature donkey that he said posed a threat to his safety.
Officer Trenton Garner, 24, was placed on administrative leave after killing HeeHaw, a one-year-old donkey, at Elsberry Farm in Cedartown.
The district attorney for Georgia’s Tallapoosa Judicial Circuit reportedly decided on Tuesday not to pursue criminal charges against Garner.
However, the attorney representing HeeHaw’s owner, Hannah Israel, said she has not received official court documents confirming that the case has been cleared.
Israel’s legal team maintains that the shooting was unjustified and intends to seek accountability through an ongoing civil lawsuit.
“There was simply no justification for HeeHaw to be killed,” Israel’s attorney said in a statement to Fox 5.
“There’s no universe in which he posed any danger whatsoever. Our battle for accountability will continue.”
Israel’s attorneys reiterated that they plan to move ahead with the civil case despite the reported decision not to bring criminal charges.
Officer Trenton Garner, 24, was placed on administrative leave after shooting and killing HeeHaw, a one-year-old donkey, at Elsberry Farm in Cedartown
A Georgia police officer will not face criminal charges after using a Taser and fatally shooting a miniature donkey he said threatened his safety
HeeHaw’s owner, Hannah Israel, has not received official court documents confirming that criminal charges against the officer were cleared, her attorneys said
Garner first encountered HeeHaw on the night of August 29, when he was called to assist a bloodhound team searching for a missing 12-year-old girl, according to an incident report reviewed by the Daily Mail.
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Garner wrote that he and other officers followed footprints along a trail leading to a pasture operated by Elsberry Riding and Farm, a local business offering petting zoos, pony rides and trail rides.
Garner encountered the donkey on August 29 after joining a bloodhound team searching for a missing 12-year-old girl
The attorney representing Israel said there was “no universe” in which HeeHaw posed any danger and vowed to continue the fight for accountability
The officers entered the pasture because of the “exigency of locating this missing juvenile,” the report said. They soon encountered horses that became “spooked” and ran off.
A K-9 handler then told Garner that he had spotted a donkey before the animal “began to charge at us,” according to the officer’s account.
The K-9 handler tried to “deter” the donkey by using a Taser. When that failed, Garner said he pulled his Glock 17 from its holster and aimed it at HeeHaw.
Garner, who joined the force in July 2023, said he fired one shot at the male donkey. HeeHaw “retreat[ed] up the hill before falling over,” the officer wrote.
Garner said he opened fire to protect himself, the K-9 officer and the bloodhound team from the young animal.
Israel raised more than $100,000 through a GoFundMe campaign following HeeHaw’s death.
“We will be using any donations left for the farm, care of the animals, a fund for making a HeeHaw foundation, and none of it for our personal needs,” Israel wrote on the fundraising page.
“This is not a payday for us. Thank y’all so much for your support,” she added.