TORONTO – Toronto police shot and killed a bear as it roamed through a residential area of the city late Friday night.

A police spokesperson said Emergency Task Force members were deployed to a neighbourhood in northeastern Toronto after multiple bear sightings were reported.

The police official said the animal, which according to unconfirmed eyewitness reports was an adult black bear, was rummaging through backyards, and at one point banged on the door of a residence.

He said officers shot the bear (in the Middlefield and McCowan Road area) after animal control officials advised police that they were not equipped to deal with the potentially dangerous situation.

There were no reports of any people or pets being injured.

Police had no immediate information about where the bear came from, its gender, or whether a post-mortem examination would be performed to try to determine if it was suffering from any abnormalities.