Wildlife officials in Arizona say they killed a black bear that entered a cabin and mauled a disabled 15-year-old boy who was watching TV.
Brigham Hawkins, who has a rare neurological disorder, was watching TV after a day of fishing when a bear walked in through the open front door of his cabin in Alpine on Thursday night.
According to the Arizona Game and Fish Department, the bear swiped at the boy from behind. The bear left the cabin and encountered other family members, then entered the cabin a second time, swiping at the boy again.
"He hadn't realized it because it came in from behind, and it reached over and like swiped at his face twice. Got him on the nose and the cheek and then went ahead and got his forehead and the top of his head," the boy's mother, Carol Hawkins, told AZ Family.
Family members in another cabin heard the boy screaming and tried to chase the bear away. Brigham's older brother, Parker, tried to reach him, but was chased by the bear.
"Parker ran up on the porch and went into the other cabin to get away from the bear," his mother said. "And the bear just paced back and forth on our porch."
The boy's father was able to reach him, and called 911.
Wildlife officials responded to the scene and were able to "quickly locate and dispatch the bear," the Game and Fish Department said. The boy was treated at a local hospital.
AZGFD said the bear was a male estimated to be three years old. The bear's carcass will be examined and tested for disease.
The agency said the attack is the 16th bear attack in the state since 1990, two of which were fatal.
-With reporting from TMX.
