By Sentinel Staff
No citations are planned in the shooting of a bear early Wednesday on Edgecumbe Drive, wildlife trooper Kyle Ferguson said today.
A 16-year-old had taken a gun with him when he went outside to check on a noise in the 1400 block of Edgecumbe about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, and had shot the bear when it startled him, the police report stated Wednesday.
Ferguson told the Sentinel his investigation into the matter is complete.
“It involves a 16-year-old juvenile, and about all I want to say about it is… that it was investigated and dealt with mostly by the PD but, yeah, it’s all done,” Ferguson said today.
“I looked at it from a wildlife perspective and didn’t issue any citations,” he added.
The officer said the teen acted legally.
“There’s nothing within the boundaries of a law that prevents a kid from having a handgun in the context of lawful outdoor activity.”
He didn’t provide further details, saying “because it involves a juvenile, we have to kind of tread lightly.”
Between 2:57 a.m. and 3:15 a.m. on Wednesday, police issued written warnings about having bear attractants to eight addresses on Harbor Mountain Road, and in the 2900 to 3200 blocks of Halibut Point Road.
The bear was the fourth killed in Sitka this year, Fish and Game wildlife biologist Steve Bethune said.
