SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A two-year-old female black bear was shot outside a Lanky Court apartment building at 11 a.m. on Wednesday.

A resident from Lanky Court, a complex of townhouses and apartments near Franklin Avenue, had called the RCMP to report spotting the bear near there about an hour earlier.

A two-year-old black bear was seen behind a Lanky Court apartment building and complex near Franklin Avenue on Wednesday morning. Officers shot the bear with shotguns, citing safety concerns. - Adrian Lysenko/NNSL photos

Armed with shotguns, RCMP and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) officers were around the area looking for bear. Officers spotted it on the side of a building near Franklin Avenue where it was trapped. The bear was agitated when it was trapped and shot dead by RCMP Const. Todd Scaplen and ENR officer Janice Ziemann.

"I tried to scare it away because I was with my daughter," said Stephane Gagne, who lives in Lanky Court.

Gagne told his neighbours to phone local authorities to notify them about the bear.

"Given the situation being around the school area, children playing and lunch starting this was a unique situation," said Scaplen.

"We don't want to shoot animals but sometimes we have to do it for safety aspects."

The area which the bear was spotted was in close proximity to William McDonald Middle School.

The RCMP contacted Deborah Maguire, principal at the school and advised her to keep the students inside until further notice.

ENR reported that this was the first bear sighting this year within the city limits.

"Every year we get several calls for bears (within) the city limits," said Scaplen.

"We are in the North."

Both the RCMP and ENR recommended residents not leave garbage that would attract bears to travel into the city. ENR did not know the weight of the bear at press time.