An Arizona man’s morning coffee ritual was abruptly interrupted when he was viciously attacked by black bear last week on his property near Prescott, AZ.
Steven Jackson, 66, of Tucson, was enjoying his morning coffee on his property where he and his partner Annie were planning on building a home when the incident took place. In what was determined to be an unprovoked attack, Jackson was dragged 75 yards down an embankment by a large male black bear before the animal was fatally shot by a neighbor who heard the muffled screams.
“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,” officials said.
Unfortunately, Jackson succumbed to his injuries during the attack and was dead by the time police and officials arrived at the scene.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department released findings from the necropsy on Wednesday which indicated that the bear was in good health and acted in what appeared to be an unprovoked predatory attack.
The Department determined the bear to be between 7 and 10 years of age weighing 365 pounds with no signs of injury or disease. An examination of the stomach found human remains consistent with the injuries found in the victim. Additionally, native vegetation and seeds were found inside the bear.
The amount of body fat on the bear indicated it was in good nutritional condition.
Black bear attacks on humans are incredibly rare – particularly fatal ones. According to Game and Fish, there have been 15 bear attacks on people in Arizona since 1990, two of which were fatal, including this most recent one.
The previous attack with fatal implications took place back in 2011.
Images: Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office
