A widower has been mauled to death in his own home by a bear. Benjamin Halona, 67, from New Mexico, was killed in August while he was recovering from a seizure that had hindered his mobility. The tamale seller’s stepson Casey—the child of his wife Bernadine who had died from illness six months prior—had gone to the post office when the attack took place. When he returned home, he found the door ajar despite being sure Halona had locked it behind him, and found a bear inside the house. Halona’s niece, Samantha Vandever Casey, and his sister, Gloria Halona, said Casey hid in his bedroom, barricaded the door with heavy items, and hid in the closet before calling them and emergency services. When the women arrived, the bear was outside, and they honked the horn of their car to scare it away before it was shot by a police officer. It was a “horrific scene,” and “was a lot for us,” Samantha said. “He was a really strong person,” Gloria told the Guardian. “And, even though he didn’t have a lot, he was happy.” In a statement, the Navajo Police Department said the bear, which are sacred to the Navajo Nation, fled into “nearby woods. The bear was located and neutralized. Unfortunately, the male victim succumbed due to injuries.”
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