Wild bear shot dead by police after running through mall in Khabarovsk, Russia

Wild bear shot dead by police after running through mall in Khabarovsk, Russia

A WILD bear has wandered through a shopping mall in Russia’s Far East before being shot and killed by police. No injuries were reported.

Local TV channel MestoproTV released a video that showed the bear smashing a window and roaming around the mall. It then ran to a nearby playground in the city of Khabarovsk close to the Chinese border.

On exit, the bear pushed open the store’s doors and barrelled down the street. The video showed a camouflaged law enforcement officer pursuing the animal and shooting it dead on the playground.

The Investigative Committee, Russia’s main state investigative agency, has launched a probe into the legitimacy of the police action.

The television report said the bear was between two and three years old, making it a teenager in bear years.

The BBC quoted the Russian state-run news agency Tass, which stated that bears have attacked six people in Russia this year. Two of the attacks have been fatal