Police kill Westchester County black bear; community outraged

Police kill Westchester County black bear; community outraged

Residents in a Westchester County neighborhood are voicing their outrage after a Harrison police officer shot and killed a black bear. Some residents said the bear wasn't an immediate threat to the public and one wildlife rehabilitation expert said killing the bear was "inhumane." FOX 5 New York's Richard Giacovas has the latest.

Residents in a Westchester County neighborhood were left outraged and disheartened after police shot and killed a black bear that was roaming through backyards on Monday. 

Black bear shot and killed

Dig deeper:

Officers from the Harrison Police Department and an officer from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) responded to calls from the neighborhood located on Columbus Avenue for a black bear that was seen in the area.

After attempting to implement "nonlethal services" such as tranquilizing or trapping the bear, or even relocating it, officers made the "difficult decision to humanely euthanize the bear," Harrison police told FOX 5 New York.

The other side:

Despite Harrison police’s statement that all nonlethal measures were considered and executed before euthanizing the bear, the DEC refuted the police department’s claims.

DEC officers had determined the bear should have been allowed to leave the area on its own without intervention since it did not pose an immediate threat to residents. 

Residents, wildlife refuge outraged

Residents who witnessed the bear getting shot told FOX 5 that the killing was "not necessary."

What they're saying:

"I wish there was a different outcome because the kids were a little scared, they heard the gunshot and they heard the bear make a noise after." Doug Puff, resident who was home at the time the bear was killed, told FOX 5.

Puff also said he didn’t feel the bear posed a big threat to the community but that how law enforcement handled the situation would be up for debate.

"This did not need to happen. This bear was literally napping in someone’s yard," Brigette Dix, from Cottontail Cottage Wildlife Refuge, told FOX 5.

"It was completely disheartening and upsetting to see that measures were taken the way they were and things were handled the way they were," Stephanie Gomez, also with Cottontail Cottage, added.

Residents said the neighborhood was undergoing major redevelopment and it was encroaching on animal habitats, which they feared would lead to an incident such as this one.