Man shoots bear, says it broke into his home twice

A black bear busted its way into the home of a Lake County man, forcing the Lady Lake homeowner to shoot the dangerous animal.

Now the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is trying to determine if the shooting was legal.

This is the second time a bear had broken into the front room of the home in as many nights, shattering windows to get inside.

And the homeowner says he feared the window he was perched at with his shotgun would be next.

At first Victor Peters thought it was a burglar.

“I appear to have had a break-in last night, I have a whole section of windows ripped right out of the house," Peters rols 911.

But upon closer inspection and after talking with Fish and Wildlife biologists, Peters realized the intruder was a bear which was after dog food he left in his Florida Room. He took the food inside, but Wednesday night the bear returned. And this time, Peters was awake and had his shotgun.

He called 911 again to explain what happened.

Peters: The bear came back tonight and so I opened the window in the living room and I yelled at it and it just kept coming at me showing teeth so I shot it.

Dispatcher: And everybody’s OK though?

Peters: Oh yeah, well everybody but the bear.

Fish and Wildlife experts say bears are no stranger to the town just outside the Villages; they’ve received 19 reports of bears in the area of Lady Lake since 2012.

Peters said he’d seen bears before too, but never like the one inside his home.

“It’s the biggest black bear I’ve ever seen it’s got to be 450, 500 pounds. He’s huge,” said Peters.

It’s illegal to shoot a bear in the state of Florida. Peters hasn’t been charged as Fish and Wildlife investigators say they are still investigating the unusual circumstances of what a homeowner’s rights are when the bear comes inside.

Peters told News 13 he was frightened and felt he had no other option.

Killing a bear carries up to a 60-day jail sentence, but there is something called the common law defense of necessity. Investigators are trying to figure out if those factors were met.