HE RAN TOWARD THE COP — THEN A BELOVED BABY DONKEY WAS DE@D

A beloved one-year-old donkey named HeeHaw was enjoying life on a Georgia farm.

Just days later, he was dead after a police officer opened fire during a late-night search for a missing child.

Now the officer has revealed why he fired — while HeeHaw’s devastated owner has shared a heartbreaking final video of the animal she called her “son.”

THE SEARCH THAT ENDED IN TRAGEDY

The incident happened around 12:45 a.m. Sunday at Elsberry Riding and Farm in Rockmart, Georgia.

Police were searching for a missing 12-year-old girl when officers and a K-9 team followed a trail of footprints toward the property’s petting zoo and pasture.

According to Officer Trenton Garner, 24, of the Cedartown Police Department, the horses became startled as officers moved through the pasture.

Then they encountered HeeHaw.

Garner said the donkey began moving toward the officers and appeared to charge.

He reportedly attempted to use his department-issued Taser, but said it failed to stop the animal.

Garner then drew his firearm and fired a single round, striking HeeHaw.

The donkey walked away before collapsing and dying.

The missing girl was later found safe at a nearby church.

“HE WAS MY SON”

For HeeHaw’s owner, Hannah Israel, the explanation has done little to ease the heartbreak.

Israel said HeeHaw had been bottle-raised from birth and was accustomed to people. He participated in petting zoos and, according to his owner, “never knew a stranger.”

She said his behavior that night was simply what he normally did when unfamiliar people entered his space — braying and approaching them.

Israel has questioned why officers entered the pasture and why the encounter ended with HeeHaw being shot.

She has also said her family plans to pursue legal action.

HIS FINAL DAYS

In the days following the shooting, Israel released video of HeeHaw taken shortly before his death.

The footage shows the young donkey alive, affectionate and approaching his owner.

The contrast has made the tragedy even harder for those who knew him.

HeeHaw was not simply livestock to the family.

He was a beloved animal who had been raised inside their home and had become part of their daily lives.

Israel has since launched fundraising efforts to help care for the farm’s remaining animals and establish a HeeHaw Foundation in his memory.

THE OFFICER IS NOW ON LEAVE

The Cedartown Police Department placed Garner on administrative leave while the shooting is investigated.

The investigation has been turned over to the Georgia Department of Agriculture Law Enforcement Division.

Authorities have not announced any criminal charges against the officer.

Meanwhile, public outrage has continued to grow, with supporters demanding answers and calling for the release of body-camera footage.

For Hannah Israel, however, the investigation cannot bring back the animal she loved.

HeeHaw should have had decades ahead of him.

Instead, his life ended during a police search for a missing child — after an encounter that lasted only moments.

Was the shooting unavoidable?

Could the encounter have ended differently?

And most importantly — why did a beloved one-year-old donkey have to die that night?