Black bear shot in Minnesota capital

A black bear that wandered into a residential neighborhood in St. Paul, the capital of Minnesota, was shot to death by police early Sunday. After residents in St. Paul's Frogtown neighborhood reported the bear to police about 12:30 a.m., officers followed it 3 blocks until it climbed up a tree. About an hour later, the bear climbed back down and the officers killed it, a police spokesman told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. The officers consulted with state Department of Natural Resources staff and the decision was made to shoot the bear because of the uncertainty use of a tranquilizer gun posed. While there had been no known contact between the bear and people, city police Sgt. Paul Paulos said, "This was clearly a public safety issue for the community." The bear's gender, age and weight weren't known, Paulos said. It was the second bear shooting by police officers in the city of 285,000 people in recent months.