A Buncombe County man is facing charges after N.C. Wildlife Resource Commission officers said he shot and killed a bear on his neighbor’s property. Officers said the incident happened about noon Thursday on Poplar Creek Drive.

“We found no reason for that individual to have shot the bear,” said Capt. Andrew Helton of the N.C. Wildlife Resource Commission. There has never been a death in North Carolina from a black bear encounter.

Buchsbaum faces a minimum fine of $2,000. In addition to the fine, another $2,000 can be added on as a replacement cost. 

“Generally, when bears get shot in Buncombe County during the closed season, there is a good reason why,” Helton said. “It’s very seldom that we charge anybody.”