Raging black bear savages Arizona man to death as he drank coffee
"It appears that male black bear attacked a man, taking him unaware, and dragged him down an embankment," officials say
June 18, 2023
An angry black bear in Arizona savaged a man unprovoked, killing him brutally before he could be saved by a brave neighbour, who shot the beast dead, but it was too late, police said Friday.
The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said: “From multiple witness accounts and preliminary investigation of the scene, Jackson had been sitting having coffee at a table on his property where he was building a home.”
The sheriff’s office said in a social media post, that it was a remote, heavily wooded area.
"It appears that a male black bear attacked 66-year-old Steven Jackson, taking him unaware, and dragged him approximately 75 feet down an embankment."
The sheriff’s office noted that neighbours heard him screaming and tried to help through shouts and car horns but the bear did not release him until a neighbour shot him with his rifle.
John Trierweiler, public information officer for the Arizona Game and Fish Department: "It sounds like this would have been a predatory attack."
"This kind of attack is highly uncommon and unusual, with only one other fatal attack known since the mid-1980s," the office said.
The US Forest Service said black bears are the only bears found in Arizona and they usually avoid 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.
Officials also expressed their confidence that there is no threat of other aggressive animals to the public.
