Authorities say a man in Oregon trying to protect his home from a bear instead fatally shot his brother by mistake, then killed himself.
Josephine County Undersheriff Travis Snyder said the man called 911 around 7 a.m. Tuesday and told dispatchers he had “accidentally shot his brother while loading a gun” after being startled by the bear.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports deputies went to the home in Sunny Valley, an unincorporated community off Interstate 5 in the southwest corner of the state. There they found a man dead from a gunshot wound.
Snyder said they checked the rural residence and found a second man dead. He had died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
We're making it easier for you to find stories that matter with our new newsletter — The 4Front. Sign up here and get news that is important for you to your inbox.
Sheriff’s officials did not immediately identify either man.
Oregon State Police and local deputies continue to investigate the shootings.