Man charged in shooting of bear in Foothills, New Mexico neighborhood

FOOTHILLS, New Mexico — Authorities cited an Albuquerque man in the shooting of a mother bear that came onto his foothills property with two cubs searching for food last month.

Brandon Mead, 36, is charged with negligent use of a deadly weapon and, in a separate case, causing a nuisance game animal problem in the Aug. 2 incident.

The second charge is for Mead allegedly not securing his garbage can and leaving a trash bag out, “causing a female bear and her cubs to frequent the area.” The bears were “darted and removed” by the New Mexico Department of Wildlife, according to court records.

The mother bear had a graze wound from a bullet fired by Mead and was treated and relocated with one of the cubs.