Current:Home > Contact-usBear shot dead after attacking 15-year-old in Arizona cabin: "Not many kids can say they got in a fight with a bear"-LoTradeCoin
Bear shot dead after attacking 15-year-old in Arizona cabin: "Not many kids can say they got in a fight with a bear"
View Date:2024-12-24 09:42:29
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, identified as Brigham Hawkins by his family, 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.
His mother, Carol Hawkins, told CBS affiliate KPHO-TV in Phoenix that the bear attacked her son while he was alone and watching television.
"Never in our wildest dreams did we think (a bear) would come in the home," she told the station.
Hawkins said her other son heard screams and went to help. Wildlife officials said the bear entered the home a second time before it fled.
"Not many kids can say they got in a fight with a bear and came out on top," Hawkins said in a Facebook post that included a photo showing cuts on her son's nose and arm. Hawkins did not respond to a Facebook message Saturday from The Associated Press.
Wildlife officers found and shot the bear, which the agency said was believed to be about 3 years old and would be tested for disease by department specialists.
"It was thanks to the quick reaction by his brother and his family that they were able to distract the bear from what very easily in a matter of seconds could have turned into a real tragedy there," AZ Game and Fish Department Law Enforcement Supervisor Shawn Wagner told KPHO-TV.
The teen was taken to a local hospital with injuries to his face and arm and has started the rabies vaccine as a precaution but is expected to recover.
"Everybody that came into help him, he had a big thank you and so he's handling it well. And he'll be okay," Carol Hawkins told the station.
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 north of Phoenix.
- In:
- Arizona
- Bear
veryGood! (1)
Related
- What’s the secret to growing strong, healthy nails?
- Julius Peppers headlines Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2024 class, Antonio Gates misses cut
- Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Cher, Sade, Oasis and Ozzy Osbourne among Rock Hall nominees for ’24
- 200-foot radio station tower stolen without a trace in Alabama, silencing small town’s voice
- Georgia's humbling loss to Mississippi leads college football winners and losers for Week 11
- Jon Bon Jovi on singing after vocal cord surgery: 'A joy to get back to work'
- Stowaway scorpion makes its way from Kenya to Ireland in woman's bag
- Save Up to 79% Off On Resort Styles & Accessories At Nordstrom Rack: Kate Spade, Good American & More
- Former NFL coach Jack Del Rio charged with operating vehicle while intoxicated
- Queen Camilla says King Charles III is doing 'extremely well under the circumstances'
Ranking
- Black, red or dead: How Omaha became a hub for black squirrel scholarship
- Amazon Prime Video to stream exclusive NFL playoff game in 2024 season, replacing Peacock
- City drops charges against pastor as sides negotiate over Ohio church’s 24/7 ministry
- Shania Twain and Donny Osmond on what it's like to have a Las Vegas residency: The standard is so high
- Mike Tomlin's widely questioned QB switch to Russell Wilson has quieted Steelers' critics
- Caitlin Clark, please don't break scoring record on Super Bowl Sunday. For once, just be average.
- Mardi Gras 2024: What to know as Carnival season nears its rollicking end in New Orleans
- Indianapolis man arrested after stabbing deaths of 2 women in their 50s
Recommendation
-
Biden funded new factories and infrastructure projects, but Trump might get to cut the ribbons
-
US Sen. Coons and German Chancellor Scholz see double at Washington meeting
-
Here’s what you can expect from Super Bowl commercials this Sunday
-
FBI says Tennessee man wanted to 'stir up the hornet's nest' at US-Mexico border by using bombs, firearms
-
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Mixed Use
-
Judge blocks Omaha’s ban on guns in public places while lawsuit challenging it moves forward
-
2 dead after small plane crashes into car, creating fiery explosion on Florida highway
-
Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz want you to see the 'Giants' of art in their collection