Officials said the bear was coming down from the tree when officers shot at the animal.

Police said with children living in the area and the bear’s actions of running from yard to yard on Monday morning, officials felt public safety was at risk.

Bear began coming down from a tree and became a risk to people in the area. Officers have shot the bear due to having no other options. — York Regional Police (@YRP) June 1, 2015

Officers do not have tranquilizers or other options for dealing with wildlife. We could not let the bear harm a person while waiting for MNR — York Regional Police (@YRP) June 1, 2015

According to police, officers on scene considered using a Taser to subdue the animal but it was determined that they “could not get close enough without compromising their safety.”

For more information on the bear encounter in Newmarket http://t.co/T8ook1uW18 — York Regional Police (@YRP) June 1, 2015

Police said officers are not trained on the use of tranquilizers — as dosages are very detailed and requires medical knowledge of all wildlife — therefore, they have to rely on the expertise of the Ministry of Natural Resources.

“The officers involved and York Regional Police regret the incident but there were no other options,” Chief Eric Jolliffe said in a release. “Police officers are not equipped with tranquilizers nor are they trained on the containment of wild animals. We will be following up with the MNR in an attempt to improve the response to such incidents.”

Authorities had received several calls over the weekend of reports of black bear sightings.

The animal was spotted Monday morning on London Road, running from yard to yard before it climbed up a tree.

Officials said the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry had been contacted and that the area would be contained until their arrival.

However, the animal was shot shortly before ministry crews arrived on scene.

MNR said it is unfortunate and that they didn’t want to see it end like this.

They deployed as fast as they could and showed up five minutes after. The staff went from their homes to Aurora to get the equipment such as beat traps and then had to travel back to Newmarket.

Over the weekend, Sgt. Rod Fraser said they were looking for a bear in the Srigley Street and Lemar Road area, near Leslie Street and Davis Drive.

There were 32 calls to the bear hotline in the Aurora area from April 1 to May 31 in 2014 and 22 calls from April 1 to May 31 in 2015.

Police said officers not only contacted ministry officials over the weekend, but also the University of Guelph, the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, local Animal Control, and the Toronto Zoo. However, only ministry officials are “equipped and trained to respond.”

PUBLIC HAZARD: Srigley St. and Lemar Rd, New for a reported black bear. Police in area.rf220 — York Regional Police (@YRP) May 31, 2015

“We’ve checked the area, we’ve had no luck locating this bear so we’re hoping that the public will have a look in their backyards and give us a call if they do sight this bear,” he said.

Authorities believe this could be the same black bear that was seen in the Green Lane and Highway 404 area on Saturday. Police are warning anyone who sees the bear not to approach it.