Yellowknife (Oct 15/03) - RCMP shot a 350-pound male bear in Frame Lake South at 1 a.m. Tuesday after an attempt to trap it failed.

"Our member was face to face with him, eight feet away," said Sgt. Steve McVarnock.

Police answered a call about a large black bear turning over a garbage can and standing on the front porch of a house on Kasteel Drive.

McVarnock said that when police arrived the bear ran behind the house and under a deck.

Police wanted to corral it there until wildlife officers arrived but "the bear started walking from under the deck," said McVarnock.

"We tried to contain the bear, but we have to be concerned with the safety of our members."

Police fired one round of birdshot and wounded the bear. It ran across two properties where it was found and killed by police and a wildlife officer. No one was injured in the incident, McVarnock said.