CALGARY — The family of HeeHaw, the one-year-old miniature donkey fatally shot by a Georgia police officer last weekend, has taken legal action as a state investigation into the animal's death gets underway.Hannah Israel, HeeHaw's owner, has retained an attorney following the Sunday shooting at her family's farm in Polk County, Georgia.According to FOX 5 Atlanta, her attorney has now sent at least one cease-and-desist letter concerning what the lawyer described as "relentless, inappropriate and defamatory conduct" directed at Israel online.The letter warns that if the alleged conduct continues, Israel could seek a protective order and pursue a lawsuit for damages.The legal development comes as investigators examine the circumstances surrounding HeeHaw's death.The Georgia Department of Agriculture's Law Enforcement Division is now investigating the shooting.The department said it intends to investigate the incident "thoroughly and impartially" before making an appropriate recommendation..The investigation was turned over to the state after a Cedartown police officer shot HeeHaw while assisting with a search for a missing child.The officer involved, identified in reports as Trenton Garner, has been placed on administrative leave.According to the officer's account, officers were searching the property around 1 a.m. when HeeHaw ran toward them. A Taser was reportedly used first, but the attempt was unsuccessful before Garner fired his handgun. The donkey retreated uphill before collapsing, and the missing child was later found safe at a nearby church. “As we were tacking down the fence line, the horses in the pasture spooked and ran back away from us across the pasture,” Garner said to the New York Post.“This in fact did not deter the donkey, so I removed my department-issued Glock 17 from its holster and pointed it at the donkey. I then fired a single round striking the donkey,”Israel has disputed the circumstances surrounding the shooting and has questioned why officers entered the property and whether the donkey posed a threat.She has described HeeHaw as a bottle-raised family pet who was accustomed to people and had participated in petting zoos and visits to nursing homes..The report provides the first detailed account from the officer of the moments leading up to the shooting, although the state investigation has not yet reached a conclusion about whether the use of force was justified.A GoFundMe established to support Israel's farm has surpassed $134,000 USD, past its original $30,000 goal. Israel has said the funds will help care for the farm's remaining animals and cover upkeep. She also plans to establish a foundation in HeeHaw's memory.For now, however, the central questions surrounding HeeHaw's death remain under investigation.No finding has been announced by the Georgia Department of Agriculture, and there is no indication that Israel has filed a civil lawsuit over the shooting itself.The family has retained legal counsel, while the state investigation and the department's eventual recommendation remain pending.
