A picture of a brown bear cub taken in Haines in 2010. (Ray Morris/Flickr Creative Commons)

A picture of a brown bear cub taken in Haines in 2010. (Ray Morris/Flickr Creative Commons)

Updated 6-18-15 8 p.m.

Three brown bears rummaging through a truck and garbage were shot this week near a home on Beach Road in Haines.

Haines Police say they received a call from a man on Wednesday morning reporting he shot the bears on his property. He told police two of bears were dead and one was wounded before it ran off. Police found the third bear dead.

Haines Police confirm it was a female with two cubs about 18-months-old. The reason given by the property owner for shooting the bears was because “they’d torn up a truck and were in the garbage” according to Haines Police chief Bob Griffiths. Police and troopers are not identifying the property owner while the investigation is ongoing.

Haines Police turned the case over to Alaska Wildlife Troopers who say the man claims he shot the sow and two cubs in defense of life and property. Troopers took possession of the bears and are investigating.

Chief Griffiths also offered the following reminder: “This might be a good opportunity to remind folks that it is their responsibility (and the law) to not create attractive nuisances. Nuisances include, but are limited to, garbage not secured in a bear resistant container, left in the back of trailers or trucks, etc. Killing a bear should be a last resort and must be in defense of imminent threat to life or property. The threat has to be imminent and a garbage can or pile outside a house is not considered ‘property.’”