Police Shoot, Kill Black Bear Seen Roaming St. Paul Neighborhood | News

St. Paul police had to shoot and kill a black bear overnight after it came down from a tree it had climbed in St. Paul's Frogtown neighborhood.

The 200-pound bear was first seen by residents around 11:30 p.m. in the area of Roselawn Avenue and Rice Street. The bear was later spotted in the area of Jackson Street and Jenks Avenue, before it was seen climbing a tree around 1 a.m. on the 500-block of LaFond Avenue.

The bear came down before a DNR officer could get there, so police had to shoot and kill it. According to state protocol, tranquilizers are usually used on bears, but not when they're in an urban area.

Police say it isn't extremely rare to see a bear in the city. They typically see a couple per year, but usually on the east side of Interstate 35E.