Jenny Haynes says Lacy was no longer an immediate threat when police killed the escaped mare after a lengthy capture effort.
SHAWNEE, Kan. — The owner of a horse killed by Shawnee police is disputing the city’s account of the Oct. 7 incident, questioning whether lethal force was necessary after her escaped mare reached a field behind the city’s police and fire facilities.
Jenny Haynes said her gray mare, Lacy, had been loose for hours after escaping from a family farm along with two other horses. Police say the animal created a continuing traffic hazard and could not be safely captured despite more than seven hours of efforts. Haynes says the danger had eased by the time Lacy reached the open field where an officer ultimately killed her.
Haynes said a gate at the family property near Johnson Drive and Maurer Road had somehow been left open. Lacy and two other horses wandered out. Haynes and responding officers were able to return the other two horses, but she said Lacy became frightened during the response and continued away from the farm.
Lacy eventually traveled nearly a mile toward Renner Road and the area around the Shawnee Police Department and a fire station. City officials said officers saw the horse cross lanes of traffic several times and said drivers had to take evasive action. The city cited the animal’s proximity to Renner Road, Johnson Drive, Maurer Road and Interstate 435 in describing the potential danger.
Haynes does not dispute that Lacy had been loose near busy roads, but she said the circumstances changed once the mare was standing in the field. “She wasn’t in the street. She wasn’t a threat,” Haynes said in an interview first reported by local television. She believed there was still time to contain the horse without killing it.
Police said several nonlethal options were considered. A ranch hand with experience capturing large animals in populated areas was called to the scene, and a horse trailer was available. Veterinary resources were also consulted about tranquilizing Lacy, officials said. The city said practical and safety concerns led authorities to conclude that tranquilization was not feasible, though officials have not released a detailed public breakdown of those concerns.
Public Safety Information Officer Emily Rittman described Lacy as a partially wild mustang that had not been halter trained. Haynes described the mare as good-natured but shy and easily frightened by strangers. Those differing descriptions have become part of the disagreement over how much danger Lacy represented and how realistic further capture efforts would have been.
Haynes also challenged details in the police report after reviewing it. She said the report described Lacy as about 6 feet tall, while she estimated the horse was closer to 5 feet. No independent measurement has been released. The disagreement over the mare’s size does not by itself establish whether the police decision was justified, but it has added to Haynes’ concerns about how authorities characterized the animal.
Haynes said her family has kept horses at the Shawnee farm for more than 60 years. She bought Lacy at an auction about eight months before the incident because the mare reminded her of a childhood horse. Lacy had spent recent months grazing with the family’s other horses, Haynes said, without previously trying to leave the property.
Police said an officer killed Lacy with a single shot after the extended capture effort. The department said the decision followed consultation with large-animal experts and consideration of available alternatives. The city later provided Haynes with information about its dangerous-animal ordinances and said the action was consistent with department policy and municipal code.
Haynes continues to maintain that the shooting was unnecessary, while Shawnee officials continue to defend it as a public safety decision made after other efforts failed. The city has not announced any change in its account of the incident.
Author note: Last updated October 23, 2026.