Bear killed in Connecticut and shooter claims he defended himself

CANTON, Connecticut — Connecticut police are investigating the killing of a 450-pound (204-kilogram) adult male black bear Monday morning and the shooter’s claim that he acted in self-defense.

The bear was killed after “reportedly feeding on an unsecured dumpster” in Canton, a community of about 10,000 people about 13 miles (21 kilometers) northwest of Hartford, said Paul Copleman, a spokesman for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Officers from the department’s Environmental and Conservation Police are conducting the investigation.

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The shooting came a year after the General Assembly passed a law explicitly allowing Connecticut residents to kill a bear with deadly force if there is reasonable suspicion that the bear is causing or about to cause serious bodily harm to a person or domestic animal or is entering an occupied building.

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Some state lawmakers, concerned about increasing interactions between humans and bears in Connecticut, had hoped the legislation would go further and include bear hunting and restrictions on people who inadvertently feed the hungry animals.

Copleman said conservation police are investigating whether this is the first time since the law came into force that someone has claimed self-defense in killing a bear.

Bear sightings have been reported throughout Connecticut in recent years. In 2023, bears were reported in 165 of the state’s 169 cities and towns.

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Last year, more than 200 bears were spotted in Canton.

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