Man Won't Be Charged For Shooting Bear

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4) - A Colorado Springs man will not be charged for shooting a bear in his back yard. Officers with Colorado Parks & Wildlife say the man was acting in self defense.

The bear broke into the man's yard Thursday morning, and following the shooting -- which didn't kill the animal -- it was later put down.

The man told investigators he tried to scare the animal away but nothing worked. Wildlife officers say that led them to believe the bear was used to being around humans.

"A bear that's habituated to people no longer has a fear of people," said Parks & Wildlife spokesman Kyle Davidson. "Banging pots and pans, yelling, screaming, air horns are going to have no effect on a bear that has made the connection that people are going to feed (it)."

Colorado Parks & Wildlife officials says the man's trash was not stored properly. They remind people to use bear-proof containers.