Dad arrested by environmental officials after fatally shooting black bear that came ‘within feet’ of his kids
A Connecticut father was arrested for fatally shooting a black bear outside his home — even though he claimed it was self-defense after the terrifying animal came “within feet” of his kids.
Todd Topicz told WFSB that he was jostled awake by his pregnant wife in August after a bear came up to their two kids as they played in the garage of their Bethlehem home, while also chasing their dog up a tree.
“He walked right into the garage with people in there. He didn’t care. So, who knows what would’ve happened next time,” Topicz said of the bear.
Topicz said he fired a few warning shots into the air, sending the bear running into the woods — only realizing the next day that he had unintentionally shot it after a neighbor alerted police to the dead bear.
The dad was arrested two weeks later by the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) — even though he said he was just saving his kids.
“DEEP contacted me and said hey since you shot the bear and killed it, we have to arrest you again and charge you again with illegal taking of a bear,” Topicz said.