STERLING, Alaska (AP) — A Sterling man shot and killed a 9-foot brown bear that attempted to break into his home several times.

The Peninsula Clarion reports Jim Landess shot the 5-year-old male with a pistol July 7.

Landess told the Clarion in an email that the bear was pounding on the outside walls of his home.

He and a son were able to scare the bear off with a couple of shots fired into the air, and they went back to bed. But the bear came back about three hours later.

Landess said he grabbed his .45 pistol and fired about seven rounds at the bear from an upper deck.

Officials say Landess fulfilled his legal requirements by taking the hide and skull to authorities and filling out the proper paperwork.

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Information from: (Kenai, Alaska) Peninsula Clarion, www.peninsulaclarion.com