Man Who Fatally Shot Bear Speaks Out After Arrest

Written By Bryant Reed, of WFSB 3 TV

CONNECTICUT — A man from Bethlehem said he was caught in a tough situation that involved self defense and breaking the law.

Todd Topicz exclusively told Channel 3 that was woken up in August by his pregnant wife after a bear came within feet of his two children.

“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.

He said that the bear entered the home through the garage, where the two kids were at the time.

The animal grabbed a few bags before being chased up a tree by his dog. When he realized the bear wasn’t backing down, he fired a few warning shots before the bear finally took off into the woods.

He said it wasn’t until the next day that he realized that he had unintentionally shot the bear.

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A neighbor reported the dead bear to police and that’s when Topicz told them what happened. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection arrested him two weeks later.

“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,” he said.

He said the arrest confused him.

A 2023 law outlines when a person can legally kill a bear, specifying that a person can kill a bear in self defense if they reasonably believe that the animal is about to inflict bodily harm to a human, injure or kill a person’s pet, or enters a building occupied by persons.

Topicz said he felt that his situation met the criteria.

“We were all threatened. It entered our home. And I have no idea why DEEP ended up charging me for this,” he said.

Senator Eric Bethel, who represents Bethlehem, said that he supports a resident’s rights to defend themselves and that similar situations are a public safety issue.

DEEP said that it would not comment on the case.

Topicz said he is doing an accelerated rehabilitation program for first time offenders. As long as he completes it, no charges will be filed.

Editor's Note: This story was written and reported by WFSB 3 TV staff and was shared on Patch with full permission. You can visit WFSB 3 TV for more stories.