A animal home invasion, turned out to be a horrible incident, on Tuesday for two brothers.
Police say a man in Oregon trying to protect his home from a bear instead fatally shot his brother by mistake, then killed himself.
Josephine County Undersheriff Travis Snyder said the man called 911 around 7 a.m. Tuesday and told dispatchers he had “accidentally shot his brother while loading a gun” after being startled by the bear. He sounded rather distressed and upset as he reported what happened.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports deputies went to the home in Sunny Valley, an unincorporated community off Interstate 5 in the southwest corner of the state. There they found a man dead from a gunshot wound.
Snyder said they checked the rural residence and found a second man dead. He had died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Sheriff’s officials did not immediately identify either man.
However, it seems pretty obvious to officials that the man took his own life out of guilt for his brother. “It was a tragic scene to come across when we arrived,” an official stated.
Officials are still continuing to investigate the shootings before making a concrete verdict.
While Oregon is known as “black bear country,” attacks are still relatively “uncommon,” according to local wildlife officials. The state is home to as many as 30,000 black bears.
“In most cases, a bear will avoid human contact,” according to a brochure from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. “It is never safe to approach a bear.”
Several people responded to the sheriff department’s Facebook statement on the incident while sending their prayers to relatives of the two men.
“Oh gosh this is heartbreaking,” one woman replied.
This is too sad.