Oregon man preparing to shoot bear accidentally kills brother, then fatally shoots self, investigation indicates

Authored by oregonlive.com and submitted by orangepatternedcat
image for Oregon man preparing to shoot bear accidentally kills brother, then fatally shoots self, investigation indicates

An Oregon man trying to protect his home from a bear instead fatally shot his brother by mistake, then turned the gun on himself moments later, authorities say.

The man called 911 about 7 a.m. Tuesday and told dispatchers he had “accidentally shot his brother while loading a gun” after being startled by the bear, according to Josephine County Undersheriff Travis Snyder.

Deputies rushed to the Placer Road home in Sunny Valley, an unincorporated community off Interstate 5 about 20 miles north of Grants Pass. There they found a man dead from a gunshot wound.

They checked the rural residence, which sits in a gulch just south of wooded hills, and found a second man dead. He had died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the undersheriff said.

Sheriff’s officials did not immediately identify either man.

Oregon is home to some 25,000 black bears, according to the Josephine County Parks Department, which warns residents living in “bear country” to keep food and garbage secured and to slowly walk away if approached by a bear.

Oregon State Police and local deputies continue to investigate the shootings. Neither agency released any other further details.

thedoze on February 10th, 2022 at 15:24 UTC »

The bear killed them both and made it look like an accidental murder/suicide.

succed32 on February 10th, 2022 at 15:21 UTC »

I would just like to point out, they have found no evidence of a bear. Ive read two different versions of this article already today. This one just doesnt say but the other one specified no bear sign.

yukonwisp on February 10th, 2022 at 14:30 UTC »

Poor guys last moments on Earth were just pure despair.