While enjoying his morning coffee on Friday, a black bear mauled a man from Arizona before killing him.
According to the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, Steven Jackson, 66, passed away and the bear was killed by a neighbor who was attempting to save his life.
https://www.facebook.com/YavapaiCountySheriff/posts/628787855940915/
The sheriff’s office claimed in a Facebook post that Mr. Jackson had been seated drinking coffee at a table on his property where he was building a home, based on various witness testimonies and a preliminary assessment of the incident. It was a secluded, highly forested region.
“It seems like a male black bear attacked Mr. Jackson, caught him off guard, and dragged him down an embankment for about 75 feet.”
Jackson’s neighbors heard him crying and tried to help “through shouts and car horns,” but the bear wouldn’t let go until one of them shot the bear with a rifle, according to the sheriff’s office.
They said, “Unfortunately, by that point, Mr. Jackson had passed away from his terrible wounds.
The tweet below confirms the news:
Police in Arizona say a 66-year-old man was killed in a rare and unprovoked bear attack. Witnesses say the man was attacked at his campsite in Prescott Friday morning and was dragged about 75 yards as the black bear started to maul him. pic.twitter.com/bWcBQUZ7da
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) June 16, 2023
Unprovoked Bear Attack
John Trierweiler, the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s public information officer said: “It sounds like this would have been a predatory attack.”
Assaults of this nature are “highly uncommon and unusual, with only one other fatal attack known since the mid-1980s,” according to the sheriff’s office. According to the North American Bear Center, fatal bear attacks are incredibly uncommon, occurring only about once a year on average in the US.
They said, “At first sight, nothing on the location appeared to have prompted a bear attack, such as food, a cooking area, or access to water.
If you live in California and care about current events, you need to read The California Examiner.
- Shooting at House Party in Carson Leaves 8 Injured
- Ugandan School Attacked by ISIS-Linked Rebels, Dozens Killed
Trierweiler added that although the incident did not appear to be a mother grizzly defending her cubs, investigators are still gathering information regarding what took place.
According to the US Forest Service, black bears are the only bears that can be spotted in Arizona and they typically stay away from people.
“We have had no other reports that would indicate that the public is in danger. Please do not shoot any bear unless there is an immediate threat. It is against the law to shoot any bear unless there is a threat to your safety or the safety of others,” said the sheriff’s office.
You may read more about the Golden State whenever it’s convenient for you if you bookmark the California Examiner.
