Bear shot dead by Arizona game officers after swipe attack on teen in mountain cabin
ALPINE, Ariz. (AP) — A black bear was shot and killed by Arizona fish and game officers after it entered a home through an open door and injured a teenager in a mountain community near the New Mexico state line, wildlife officials said.
The 15-year-old boy received wounds to his face and arm when the bear swiped at him, and he was treated at a hospital after the late Wednesday incident in Alpine, the state Game and Fish Department said.
Family comes to rescue of 15-year-old attacked by a bear in Alpine
A 15-year-old boy in Alpine was attacked by a bear while watching TV in his families cabin. His family was able to come to the rescue.
"Not many kids can say they got in a fight with a bear and came out on top," Carol Hawkins said in a Facebook post that included a photo showing cuts on her son’s nose and arm.
Wildlife officers found and killed the bear, which the agency said was believed to be about three years old and would be tested for disease by department specialists.
The attack was the 16th by bears on people in the state since wildlife officials began keeping records in 1990, including two that were fatal, the department said.
A 66-year-old man was killed almost a year ago when he was attacked at a campsite in the Groom Creek area south of Prescott and about 100 miles (161 kilometers) north of Phoenix.