Bear shot and killed by deputy at Tahoe

Saturday, June 28, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

Washoe County Sheriff's Sgt. Robert Gray said the bear was shot Friday evening at the Country Club Mall next to the condo because it posed a threat to humans.

The mall is located across from the Hyatt Regency Resort & Casino near the shores of Lake Tahoe. The mall features a mixture of professional offices and restaurants.

"We don't like to do this because we get a lot of bad publicity whenever it happens," Gray said. "But we had no other choice. We did everything we could to prevent this."

Gray said deputies repeatedly tried to shoo the bear back into the mountains above the community, but the animal refused to go.

Deputies became concerned when the bear approached the barbecue site because the animal showed no fear of humans, he added.

"We have bear incidents all the time, but not at malls in congested areas," Gray said. "I'd have to say he was rather an aggressive individual."

A deputy killed the bear at about 7 p.m. with a single shot from a 12-gauge shotgun.

Jeff Wachs, an osteopath who has an office at the mall, said he was surprised how close the bear came to Lake Tahoe's north shores.

"I wonder how it got down here - we're almost down to the lake," he said. "There are quite a few residences and businesses before us."

The last major bear incident at Incline Village occurred in April when one wandered into a house in search of food.

The resident heard noises and found a bear helping itself to the contents of a refrigerator. The homeowner was able to scare the bear away without further problems.