An Arizona man is dead after a black bear attacked him unprovoked this Friday morning and mauled him to death.
According to a statement from the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, around 7:50 am that morning they received “multiple 911 calls about a man who was being mauled by a bear in the Groom Creek Area.”
“When YCSO deputies and Prescott PD arrived at the scene, which was in a heavily wooded remote area, they found Steven Jackson, 66 years old of Tucson dead of an apparent bear attack, and the bear dead nearby. Deputies called officials from Arizona Game and Fish to respond to the scene as well,” the statement reads.
BEAR ATTACKS AND KILLS MAN IN WOODS AROUND PRESCOTT
At approximately 7:50 this morning, the YCSO dispatch center…
Posted by Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office on Friday, June 16, 2023
Witnesses told the officers that Jackson had been drinking coffee at a table on his property where he’d been building a cabin when the black bear attacked him unprovoked and dragged him roughly 75 feet down an embankment.
Neighbors who reportedly heard him screaming then tried to distract the bear by shouting at it and honking their car horns, but the bear wouldn’t relent.
Eventually, one neighbor retrieved a rifle and killed the bear, but by then Jackson was already dead as well.
Tucson man killed in ‘unprovoked’ bear attack outside Prescott. Neighbors did everything they could to stop it. One of them shot and killed the 300 lb male as he was eating the victim. It marks the 2nd deadly bear attack in AZ since the late 80s. #azfamily STORY:… pic.twitter.com/b1YEZuk03S
— David Caltabiano (@DavidCaltabiano) June 17, 2023
What remains unclear is why the bear attacked.
“According to Arizona Game and Fish … this attack, which appeared to be predatory in nature, is highly uncommon and unusual, with only one other fatal attack known since the mid 1980s,” the statement from the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office continues.
“At first glance there did not appear to be anything on the site that would have precipitated a attack by the bear, such as food, a cooking site or access to water,” it adds.
Going forward, the sheriff’s office said there’s no threat to the public since the bear is dead, but stressed nevertheless that those camping in the area should “take precautions when camping, such as locking up food in a vehicle and not leaving out items such as toothpaste that may bring a bear to your campsite.”
In addition, both the sheriff’s office and Game and Fish will be conducting investigations to determine “what may have caused the attack.”
“[O]fficials at the moment do not have a theory other than a predatory response by the bear. Both investigations are just beginning, and more information will be released when available,” the statement reads.
New details from today’s fatal bear attack in Yavapai County https://t.co/d6rrLT5uCc pic.twitter.com/Vlk775GqZd
— azfamily 3TV CBS 5 (@azfamily) June 16, 2023
In a statement of his own, Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes said, “Our sincere sympathies go out to Mr. Jackson’s family. I cannot express how deeply sad this situation is and can only say our prayers are with you.”
All this raises the question of what should you do if you encounter a bear.
Speaking with Phoenix station KTVK, Robyn Moul of the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center said there are usually only three primary factors that trigger encounters between humans and bears: “Habituation, starvation, and if you come between momma and her babies.”
“Most people think that they’re constantly being fed by their garbage cans or the public is feeding them. But habituation can just be approaching bears. They just get used to people, so there’s not that usual barrier of fear of humans,” she said.
FYI, habituation refers to the process whereby an animal becomes used to being around humans because of prolonged exposure.
Moul added that a bear’s behavior can also drastically change if they’ve been without food for a while.
“They’re hungry, which means they’re going to do untypical behaviors of that animal. They’re wondering what you’ve got, they’re curious also,” she said.
According to the National Park Service, signs of an aggressive, predatory bear include them making noises and also pounding their paws on the ground.
Moul told KTVK that if the average person runs into a beer, their best bet is to stand their ground and look as large and intimidating as possible. It’s also helpful to have bear spray handy.
“It’s used between 25 and 30 yards. Spray it a couple to three times. It’s certainly like pepper spray for us. It gets them right in the nostrils and eyes and that sort of thing, so it’ll buy you some time,” she explained.
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V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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