An adult female grizzly bear was shot and killed on Wednesday, October 25 northwest of Cody by an off-duty game warden Chris Queen as the bear charged him. The warden reported the event immediately.
According to Game and Fish, Warden Queen reported the incident to his immediate supervisor via his cell phone. The incident would normally be investigated by Game and Fish but since it is one of their own who did the shooting the agency has called in the Park County Sheriff’s Office for outside help.
Queen told investigators he encountered the bear when returning to his horses. The grizzly made one bluff charge protecting its cubs and then another, more threatening charge, when Queen shot it with his hunting rifle from just a few feet away.
A joint team of investigators from the Park County Sheriff’s Office and the Wyoming Division of Investigation (DCI) are looking into the incident. Game and Fish bear experts and others assisted the investigators in returning to the area where the incident occurred and in collecting information. The bear was accompanied by three cubs. Game and Fish staff worked with the team to assess the condition of the bear cubs and will continue to monitor their status.
Requests for information regarding the investigation should be directed to the Park County Sheriff’s Office.
