Arizona man killed by black bear

Last week, an Arizona man was attacked by a black bear while sitting outside of a cabin building site drinking coffee. Steven Jackson died in the unprovoked attack in a wooded area of Yavapai County, according to NBC News.

“They tried to get the bear to stop attacking him, there was honking horns, different things they were doing,” said Sheriff David Rhodes. “There was no success in stopping the attack.”

The bear managed to drag Jackson about 75 feet down an embankment before it was fatally shot by a neighbor, but it was too late for Jackson. 

Jackson had been building a cabin at the campsite in the Groom Creek area, which is about five miles south of Prescott, for a while and, according to the sheriff’s office, “it was not unusual for him to be at the property.”

Food or any other obvious attractant weren’t found on the premises so the reason behind the attack is still unanswered. A necropsy will be performed on the animal, which was estimated to be between six and 10 years old. Bear attacks are not common in Arizona. The last fatal bear attack occurred in 2011. 

“We have had zero reports of any kind of aggressive or threatening behavior from a bear anywhere around here,” said Darren Tucker, a field supervisor for the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

Because of this rare occurrence, Rhodes issued a reminder to the public.

“These are exceeding rare circumstances and we haven’t seen this before,” said Rhodes. “We don’t want people to freak out, shoot bears, shoot animals.”