- A man accidentally shot his brother in Josephine County, Oregon early on Tuesday morning.
- He called 911 to tell police officers he was loading his gun to try and kill a bear when he shot his brother.
- Detectives say the man took his own life after calling 911 to report the shooting.
An Oregon man took his own life after he fatally shot his brother by accident when he was loading his gun to try and kill a black bear, police said.
Police responded to a report of a shooting at a residence in Josephine County, Oregon, early on Tuesday morning.
The caller said he had accidentally shot his brother while loading a gun because a bear was on their property, according to a press release by Josephine County Sheriff's Office.
Police arrived at the rural residence, situated in woodlands, and located a body from an apparent gunshot wound.
When they explored the rest of the residence, officers located another body. It appeared to have a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the press release said.
An investigation by detectives from the Oregon State Police determined that the caller took his own life after phoning 911 to report the incident, per the press release.
The case is still under investigation.
Josephine County Undersheriff Travis Snyder referred to the incident as a "tragedy," according to The Oregonian. "This is a terrible set of circumstances that took place," he said.
A bear was not found at the scene, but Snyder told The Oregonian that there are "bears everywhere" in the area. "I would never be surprised to see a bear in that particular part of our county," he said.
Oregon is home to about 25,000 to 30,000 black bears — the state's only remaining bear species.