A Texas man has been charged with firing a gun inside Glacier National Park after a run-in with a grizzly bear on Mount Brown in July.
Brian R. Murphy’s attorney will appear at a court hearing held in West Glacier on Sept. 26 to plead not guilty on his client’s behalf, according to federal court documents filed this week.
On July 26, Murphy was reportedly hiking on the Mount Brown Lookout Trail when a grizzly bear charged him. Murphy, 57, told rangers that he deployed his canister of bear spray and when that didn’t work he fired one round from his handgun, a .357 revolver. The bear ran away and Murphy met with Park Service officials near the trailhead. The bear was never found.
Murphy faces a misdemeanor for discharging a firearm in a national park, which comes with a $500 fine. Although it is legal to have a gun inside Glacier, it is illegal to fire one.