Steven Jackson, Tucson, Arizona man mauled to death by black bear while drinking morning coffee in unprovoked attack that has left investigators puzzled.
When wild animals in the woods come looking for their next meal… An Arizona man was mauled to death by a black bear Friday morning while having his morning coffee.
Steven Jackson, 66, of Tucson, was drinking a cup of coffee at an outside table on his wooded Groom Creek property just before 8 a.m. when a large adult male black bear set upon the hapless man, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office stated in a Facebook release.
Jackson, who was building a home on the grounds, appeared completely unaware of the predator until it pounced on him and dragged him about 75 feet down an embankment, where it began mauling the senior citizen. The wild animal was estimated at weighing over 300 pounds.
Neighbors who heard Jackson screaming for help tried to deter the bear by shouting and honking their horns, but the animal refused to let go until one local fired his rifle and killed the bear.
‘Unfortunately, by that time Mr. Jackson has succumbed to his horrible injuries,’ the sheriff’s office said.
Officials from Arizona Game and Fish believe the bear’s aggression was a ‘predatory response,’ but are dumbfounded about what caused the attack.
Officials said there did not appear to be anything on the site that would have provoked the mauling — such as food, a cooking site or access to water.
Investigators implied that disease could have played a factor in the attack, though the incident is still under investigation and a necropsy will be performed on the animal.
Bear attacks often involve ‘some nexus to food,’ Darren Tucker, a field supervisor with the Arizona Game and Fish Department said.
Though ‘nothing jumped out at us as being obvious of why this occurred,’ the official said.
‘Wildlife can be unpredictable’
‘Our hearts go out to Mr. Jackson’s family over today’s tragic incident,’ said Todd Geiler of Prescott, a member of the Arizona Game and Fish Commission.
‘This was an especially aggressive, unprovoked attack that reminds us that wildlife can be unpredictable.’
Attacks by black bears — the only bear species found in Arizona — are highly rare, the agency said.
The only other known fatal attack at the hands of the animal was in 2011 in Pinetop, roughly 200 miles west of where Jackson was mauled.
There have been 15 reports of nonfatal bear attacks on people in Arizona since 1990.
Officials ask residents to not shoot bears unless they detect an imminent threat.
