CALGARY — A Georgia police officer will not face criminal charges after shooting and killing a one-year-old miniature donkey named HeeHaw during a search for a missing child, despite the animal's owner insisting her beloved pet posed no threat.Officer Trenton Garner, 24, of the Cedartown Police Department, was cleared of criminal wrongdoing after prosecutors determined his actions were legally justified during the August 30 incident at Elsberry Riding and Farm near Rockmart, Georgia.Tallapoosa Judicial Circuit District Attorney Jaeson Smith announced the decision following an investigation by the Georgia Department of Agriculture's Law Enforcement Division, concluding that Garner reasonably believed he needed to protect fellow officers from serious bodily harm.According to Atlanta News First, Smith determined that the evidence did not support criminal liability or animal cruelty charges against the officer.The shooting occurred shortly after midnight as Garner and several other officers searched for a missing 12-year-old girl.According to Garner's incident report, officers entered a pasture where several horses became startled and ran away. HeeHaw, however, approached the search team.Garner claimed the miniature donkey charged toward him and a K-9 handler, prompting the handler to activate a Taser in an attempt to frighten the animal away.When HeeHaw continued approaching, Garner pulled out his service weapon and fired a single shot. The donkey ran uphill before collapsing and dying from his injuries.The missing girl was later found safe at a nearby church..Body-camera footage released in October showed HeeHaw moving toward officers shortly before the shooting. Garner can be heard reporting that he discharged his firearm because the donkey was attempting to attack the search team. However, HeeHaw's owner, Hannah Israel, strongly disputes that account.Israel said she had bottle-raised the miniature donkey, describing him as a friendly, affectionate animal accustomed to being around people.HeeHaw reportedly participated in children's petting zoos and visited nursing homes, where he interacted with elderly residents."Heehaw thought people were his family, and Heehaw was family," Israel previously told WSB-TV.Israel maintains that HeeHaw had never behaved aggressively and questioned why officers resorted to deadly force against such a small animal.The incident became even more distressing when Israel reportedly had to search for HeeHaw's body herself.According to a federal lawsuit filed in September, officers left the property without telling Israel where the donkey had collapsed. She alleges that she and a child were forced to search several acres of pasture in darkness before discovering his remains.The lawsuit accuses Garner of entering her fenced property without permission or a warrant and unlawfully killing her pet.Israel is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, alleging violations of her constitutional rights, including unreasonable search and seizure and deprivation of property without due process..Despite Israel's claims, the district attorney's findings supported Garner's account.Smith cited witness statements alleging HeeHaw had previously bitten or charged people, contradicting Israel's description of the animal.The prosecutor concluded that the officers' perceived danger justified Garner's decision to fire.Smith also revealed that several people connected to the investigation, including individuals with no involvement in the shooting, had received violent threats. Those threats were referred to federal authorities.Garner's legal team has separately requested that Israel's federal lawsuit be dismissed, arguing that officers were permitted to enter the pasture while searching for a missing child and that Garner reasonably believed another officer was in immediate danger.His lawyers have also invoked qualified immunity, which can protect government officials from personal civil liability under certain circumstances.However, Israel's attorneys say the decision not to pursue criminal charges will not end their legal fight."We are strong supporters of law enforcement, but we equally support accountability," attorney Chris McCormick said in a statement reported by FOX 5 Atlanta."There was simply no justification for HeeHaw to be killed.".McCormick argued that officers working in rural communities should better understand farm animals and maintained that the miniature donkey presented no genuine danger."Our battle for accountability will continue," he added.Israel's attorneys also said they had not received formal documentation confirming the prosecutor's decision when the news became public on Tuesday.The shooting has attracted widespread attention, with supporters rallying behind calls for "Justice for HeeHaw."A GoFundMe created following the donkey's death had raised more than $160,000 by October. The money was intended to support the farm's animals and help establish a foundation in HeeHaw's honour.Although Garner will not face criminal prosecution, Israel's federal civil lawsuit remains a separate legal battle, with the family continuing to seek accountability for the death of their beloved miniature donkey.
