A man in Island Park, Idaho, shot and killed a grizzly bear who charged his girlfriend in front of their home, according to authorities.
The couple was returning home June 6. They exited the vehicle and walked toward their house. The girlfriend then screamed as she saw a bear running toward her, according to a press release from Idaho Fish and Game published Tuesday. (RELATED: Disabled Army Veteran Survives Violent Grizzly Attack)
The man grabbed his shotgun as he was removing items from his vehicle. He aimed the weapon at the grizzly as it was charging and fired, according to the agency. The bear then fled.
An Island Park man shoots and kills a grizzly bear as it was charging his girlfriend in front of their home.#bear #islandpark #idaho #news3now #localnews8 https://t.co/I2qFSMyeMM
— Todd Kunz TV (@ToddKunzTV) June 11, 2024
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game said it later received a call reporting a dead bear near a road. The agency concluded that the man acted to defend him and his girlfriend’s lives.
Bear attacks in Island Park are rare, but there have been other incidents in which residents were forced to defend themselves. Two hunters shot and killed a grizzly bear in September 2023 in self-defense, according to KTVB 7.
In this instance, bow hunters were looking for elk in the forest. The grizzly charged directly at them, at which point both men pulled their sidearms and fired on the animal, killing it.
