A man took his own life after accidentally shooting dead his brother while loading his gun to kill a black bear.
Police found both bodies after being alerted to the incident in Josephine County, Oregon, US, during an emergency call on Tuesday morning.
The bear is said to have got onto the rural property, which sits in a gulch just south of wooded hills when the unnamed man took up a firearm and was startled.
Josephine County Sheriff's Office undersheriff Travis Snyder said in a statement a 911 call was received just before 7am on February 8 to report the initial shooting in Placer Road, Sunny Valley.
The area is an unincorporated community off Interstate 5 about 20 miles north of Grants Pass, reports the Oregonian.
"The caller reported that he had accidentally shot his brother while loading a gun because there was a bear on their property," Mr Snyder said.
"Upon arrival, Deputies located a deceased male from an apparent gunshot wound.
"While checking the rest of the residence, a second deceased male was located with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound."
The undersheriff went on to say local detectives were being assisted by detectives from the Oregon State Police.
He added: "Based upon the investigation, it is believed the caller took his own life after calling 911 to report the accidental shooting."
"This case is still under investigation and will be forwarded to the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office."
The state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western US is home to around 25,000 black bears, according to the Josephine County Parks Department.
The department - which calls Oregon 'Black Bear Country' - warns residents to avoid leaving food and litter unsecured and to slowly walk away if confronted by a bear.
It adds that bear attacks are uncommon and the animals generally avoid human contact.
It remains unclear whether the bear in Placer Road was acting aggressively.
Education Fund to Stop Gun Violence says almost 500 people are killed in unintentional firearm injuries in the US every year.
Americans are four times more likely to die from unintentional gun injuries than those living in other "high-income countries", it adds.
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