Bear shot, killed by business owner in Canton

CANTON, CT (WFSB) - A business owner shot and killed a black bear in Canton on Monday, police confirmed.

The business was on Cheryl Drive.

“The essential facts are that the bear had been in a trash bin and there was trash debris spilled,” said Capt. Andrew Schiffer, Canton police. “The business owner was cleaning up and the bear returned to the bin. The business owner said the bear advanced on him and he shot the bear in self-defense.”

Police said that the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection took over the investigation.

Channel 3 reached out to DEEP for more information.

“DEEP wildlife biologists and DEEP EnCon Police responded to a report of a bear killed by an individual in Canton,” said Paul Copleman, media relations manager for DEEP. “The untagged adult male bear had reportedly been feeding in an unsecured dumpster.

DEEP said its EnCon police have been investigating the incident.

Hours after the encounter, Channel 3′s cameras caught another bear in the exact same spot. This doesn’t come as a shock to Bonnie Shugrue, who takes dancing lessons next door.

“We saw a bear walking through this parking lot a couple weeks ago,” she said.

She lives in Simsbury, a place that sees many bears.

“The bears in our neighborhood, the know pick up is Tuesday and so they come down from the hills and knock down all the garbage cans over,” she continued.

According to Connecticut state law, a person may kill a bear in self-defense only in certain circumstances:

From DEEP website: Killing bears is still restricted in Connecticut. A person may kill a bear in self-defense or defense of others, but only in the following circumstances, and only if the person “reasonably believes” that the bear:

• Is inflicting or is about to inflict great bodily harm to a human;
• Is injuring or killing one’s pet that is otherwise controlled in accordance with any applicable provision of the general statutes or other such regulation; or
• Is entering a building occupied by persons.

State Representative Eleni Kavros Degraw co-sponsored the legislation.

“There were various bear mitigation efforts in there but yes there was a piece that if someone felt threatened by a bear coming at them that they would be allowed to defend their lives, so to speak,” said Degraw.

There are solutions to keep bears away, with one being a Connecticut-made bear-proof trashcan, aptly named the “Bearicuda.”

There are also other ways to prevent interactions with bears.

“The most important thing is you don’t need to have your bird feeder out right now. You don’t want to attract bears with your garbage. You can spray your cans down with ammonia if you don’t have the bear resistance garbage cans,” continued Degraw.

The business owner is unidentified and it is unknown if there will be any charges. DEEP is currently investigating.