SUNNY VALLEY, Ore. — A man in rural Josephine County accidentally shot his brother while trying to protect his home from a bear, the Josephine County Sheriff's Office said.
Just before 7 a.m. on Feb. 8, JCSO said 911 dispatchers received a report of a shooting in Sunny Valley, a small unincorporated community north of Grant's Pass. The caller said he had accidentally shot his brother while loading a gun after seeing a bear on his property.
When deputies arrived, they found a man dead from a gunshot wound. As they searched the home, they found the man they believe to be the 911 caller dead from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The sheriff's office said deputies believe the man took his own life after calling 911 to report the shooting. The two men were not identified.
The case is under investigation and will be forwarded to the state medical examiner's office.
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