Police shooting of donkey triggers legal action, violent threats

Editor’s note: The video above is from previous coverage.

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — In the days after a donkey was shot and killed by Cedartown police, online harassment has risen to the point of legal action.

Christopher McCormick, the lawyer for the donkey’s owner, Hannah Israel, said he has sent at least one cease-and-desist letter to an online commentator. His letter calls the person’s online posts “unbearable, unwelcomed, (and) defamatory,” and demands they retract the statements, lest Israel file a protective order or lawsuit.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: ‘He was my kid’: Owner of baby donkey killed by police mourns loss, demands justice

On Thursday, the Cedartown Police Department also urged the public to settle down.

“I would like our community to remember that there is a tremendous difference between disagreement and violence,” the department’s statement said. “We all have freedom to express opinions and to disagree and ask questions. We also have the freedom and responsibility to ask for and expect accountability. With that said, threats of violence are never acceptable.”

No arrests or charges have been announced, but the police department said the “proper authorities are involved.”

Over the weekend, Israel’s donkey, HeeHaw, was shot and killed by a Cedartown police officer. She said police told her they shot HeeHaw after attempts to hit him with a Taser failed because he was running toward them, braying.

“That would be normal for him, because he’s saying hi. That’s what donkeys do. That’s just being a donkey,” Israel said.

Police said the officer was helping Polk County police find a missing child, who was eventually found at a church near the pasture. The officer has since been put on administrative leave as the Georgia Department of Agriculture Law Enforcement Division investigates the case.

According to Israel, HeeHaw participated in petting zoos at their farm and mobile petting zoos around the community. She had bottle-raised him since he was born a year ago.

“He was my kid. He wasn’t just a livestock animal,” she told Atlanta News First. “He was literally my child, and it’s just been devastating emotionally.”

In an online fundraiser, Israel set a goal of $30,000. In less than a week, the community has already donated more than $133,000.

Israel said the money will be used to keep the farm running and build a HeeHaw foundation, which is still in the brainstorming process.

“HeeHaw’s life had no monetary value, and I refuse to treat this like it does,” she wrote in an update. “Thank you for keeping his memory alive.”

This is a developing story. Check back with Atlanta News First as we learn more.