PACE, Fla. — Some Pace residents are raising concerns over the shooting death of a black bear Friday night.

Several have reached out to WEAR News, saying the bear was never aggressive. Residents were informed the shooting was in self-defense of someone’s “emotional support chickens.”

It happened Monday in the Ashley Plantation neighborhood in Pace. All of the neighbors WEAR News spoke to Friday say the bear they repeatedly saw never caused any problems.

There is video of one resident scaring off the bear trying to get into the bird feeder. Neighbors say this was a very well-known black bear, and had never been aggressive.

One neighbor said it had been living in the area for years, never harming people or pets. Jerry Waldrep says in the eight years he’s lived in the neighborhood the bear had only messed with his trash can twice.

But he had seen it dozens of times.

“I was very upset. Had the bear been attacking a child, it would have been one thing,” said Waldrep. “But yeah, an emotional support chicken, if it was that important, why was the chickens outside? If you holler at the bear, it’ll run. They just trying to coexist with us.”

The FWC says the bear was shot and killed on Monday. They are investigating the shooting.

Florida’s black bear conservation rule says it is illegal to shoot and kill a bear unless they have a permit from the commission or are in imminent threat of death to themselves, another person or pet.

Since FWC is investigating, there’s no indication that charges will be filed against the shooter.

Back in June, a Fort Walton Beach man shot and killed a black bear he said knocked over his grill and was headed towards his back door.

FWC charged that man with a misdemeanor.