Arizona game wardens shoot bear that attacked teenager

ALPINE, Ariz. (AP) — A black bear was shot and killed by Arizona state fisheries and game officials after it entered a home through an open door and injured a teenager in a mountain community near the New Mexico state border, wildlife officials said.

The 15-year-old boy suffered injuries to his face and arm when the bear struck at him and was treated at a hospital in Alpine after the incident late Wednesday, the state Game and Fisheries Department said.

His mother, Carol Hawkins, told AZFamily TV in Phoenix that the bear attacked her son while he was alone watching television. Hawkins said her other son heard screaming and came to help. Wildlife officials said the bear entered the home a second time before fleeing.

“Not many kids can say they fought a bear and won,” 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 from The Associated Press on Saturday.

Wildlife officials found and shot the bear. The agency said it was believed to be about three years old and was being tested for disease by agency specialists.

The attack was the 16th on humans in the state since wildlife authorities began keeping records in 1990. Two of them were fatal, the agency said.

A 66-year-old man was killed nearly a year ago when he was attacked at a campground in the Groom Creek area south of Prescott and about 100 miles (161 kilometers) north of Phoenix.