A black bear attacked a man, killing him in Prescott, Arizona, on Friday while he was drinking a cup of coffee on his property.
In a social media post, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) said the incident occurred in a wooded area just before 8:00 a.m.
Emergency dispatchers received numerous calls about a man being mauled by a bear in Groom Creek. When authorities arrived at the scene, they found 66-year-old Steven Jackson of Tucson dead:
BEAR ATTACKS AND KILLS MAN IN WOODS AROUND PRESCOTTAt approximately 7:50 this morning, the YCSO dispatch center…
Posted by Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office on Friday, June 16, 2023
The agency noted the bear was also found dead near the scene, and deputies called in officials with Arizona Game and Fish to assist.
The sheriff’s office continued:
From multiple witness accounts and preliminary investigation of the scene, Mr. Jackson had been sitting having coffee at a table on his property where he was building a home. It appears that a male black bear attacked Mr. Jackson, taking him unaware, and dragged him approximately 75 feet down an embankment.
Neighbors who heard the victim screaming tried to intervene through shouts and car horns, but the bear did not let go of Mr. Jackson until one neighbor was able to retrieve his rifle and shoot the bear to get him to disengage. Unfortunately, by that time Mr. Jackson has succumbed to his horrible injuries.
Sheriff David Rhodes expressed the agency’s grief over the loss of Jackson, according to ABC News.
“This is a very tragic situation,” he said:
Officials said the attack appeared predatory, but it is highly uncommon.
According to Britannica, encounters with black bears sometimes result in a person being hurt or killed.
“My neighbor was out on his porch, and he heard him screaming,” one man told ABC 15, adding, “We would never have expected it. It’s crazy.”
The sheriff’s office reassured people that the bear is no longer a threat to the public because it was put down.
“YCSO will be conducting the death investigation, while Game and Fish will investigate what may have caused the attack, but officials at the moment do not have a theory other than a predatory response by the bear,” the agency said.
Related — “Oh, Hell No!”: Bear CHARGES Woman After She Calls It a “Cutie”
Illet Al Junaidi via Storyful
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