An Arizona man was killed by a black bear Friday that mauled him outside of his semi-remote home and then dragged him away from the property.

The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said that Steven Jackson, 66, was drinking coffee in his yard near the Groom Creek area just south of Prescott when the male bear launched its surprise attack.  

The bear then dragged Mr. Jackson 75 feet down into an embankment.

“Neighbors who heard the victim screaming tried to intervene through shouts and car horns, but the bear did not let go of Mr. Jackson until one neighbor was able to retrieve his rifle and shoot the bear to get him to disengage,” the sheriff’s office said in a press release.

“Unfortunately, by that time Mr. Jackson had succumbed to his horrible injuries,” the office statement said.

The wounded bear was found later and put down.

The Arizona Game and Fish and the sheriff’s office said that the attack “appeared to be predatory in nature, is highly uncommon and unusual, with only one other fatal attack known since the mid 1980s.”  

Bears usually avoid human beings and only attack if their cubs are in danger or if they feel threatened while foraging for food or water. Authorities said this attack did not fit such patterns since there wasn’t anything around Mr. Jackson’s home that would have prompted an attack, such as a cooking site or a pond or a river.

Police said there’s no threat to public safety, and that Mr. Jackson’s home isn’t near recreational campsites.

An investigation into the attack is underway.

• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.