June 16 (UPI) — An Arizona man was killed on Friday after he was attacked by a bear, authorities said.
The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said 66-year-old Steven Jackson was pulled from his property by the bear and dragged 75 yards away. The bear was shot and killed by a neighbor.
“Mr. Jackson was sitting on his property in a chair, and he was attacked by a bear,” Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes told reporters during a news conference Friday afternoon, according to AZ Central. “We do know that it was an adult male bear, there was quite a struggle, neighbors responded. They heard (Jackson) yelling, calling out for help, they tried to get the bear to stop attacking him, there was honking horns, different things that they were doing. There was no success in stopping the attack.”
Bear attacks in Arizona are rare. The last known bear attack in the state was in 2011. A Game and Fish spokesperson called the incident “very unusual, very surprising.”
“It’s bear country … You have to respect wildlife … None of that justifies the actions of the bear today … it was a vicious attack,” a sheriff’s office spokesperson said, according to ABC15.
