Oregon Man Confronting Bear Accidentally Shoots Own Brother To Death

An Oregon man who was trying to protect himself from a bear ended up fatally shooting his own brother. He then turned the gun on himself after realizing what he had done.

Josephine County deputies arrived at a home in Sunny Valley on Tuesday after receiving a call from a man who told them he "accidentally shot his brother." He reportedly was loading a gun after spotting a black bear near his house.

"The caller reported that he had accidentally shot his brother while loading a gun because there was a bear on their property," Josephine County Undersheriff Travis Snyder said in a statement.

The deputies found the man's body with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

"Based upon the investigation, it is believed the caller took his own life after calling 911 to report the accidental shooting," the Josephine County Sheriff's Office said in the statement.

Authorities are yet to reveal the identities of the man and his brother. No other details were available.

In December 2020, a Minnesota hunter shot and killed another hunter after mistaking the latter for a deer. The incident took place at the Nebish Township, approximately 35 miles from Red Lake Reservation in northern Minnesota's Beltrami County. Authorities said the two men weren't known to each other, and the shooting took place during the low light conditions at dusk. The man who was shot wasn't reportedly wearing the typical orange-colored hunting gear at the time.

An estimated 486 Americans died in 2019 due to unintentional firearm injuries. The figure constituted about 1.2% of total gun deaths, according to data compiled by the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence. Black bears reside in Oregon in large numbers. The total bear population in the state is 25,000, according to the Josephine County Park Department.

The agency has urged residents to stop keeping pet food, garbage and other items outside their homes to avoid potentially dangerous encounters with bears.