WARNING: This post contains a photograph of a dead bear cub. 

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Residents along Ridgewood Drive, just south of Eureka, say one of their neighbors shot and killed a mama bear and her cub in the pre-dawn hours over Labor Day weekend, and state law enforcement officers are now investigating the alleged crime.

Lt. Matthew Renner with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife told the Outpost this afternoon office personnel received a call reporting illegal bear poaching, and officers with the department have conducted interviews with witnesses and other neighborhood residents.

One local resident, Lori Ball, emailed the Outpost on Wednesday, saying, “A mama bear and her baby were tragically shot and killed alongside a busy road within a populated neighborhood. This illegal act not only threatens our local wildlife but has caused distress in our community.”

Another local resident, who asked to remain anonymous, sent us the photo below, showing the fatally injured bear cub. 

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Eureka resident Alison Brewer reported on Facebook Tuesday evening that she’d heard three gunshots around 4:30 a.m. a couple of days prior. Another commenter said the poacher hauled away the adult bear’s body.

Lt. Renner said shooting a bear in a residential neighborhood is not legal unless you are defending your life or property.