Man shoots bear in self-defense after animal breaks into his home and attacks him

A California man is lucky to be alive after shooting a bear who managed to break into his home and attack him.

The incident occurred at approximately 10:39 p.m. on Thursday, June 24, in Meyers, California -- a town about 100 miles east of Sacramento -- when the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department received a report from a man saying that he was attacked inside of his own home by a bear and that he had to shoot the animal out of self-defense.

The sheriff said that the bear fled from the house and ran back out into the wilderness after it was shot but, even with indications that the bear was bleeding, it could not be immediately located until the following morning.

“On June 25th, 2021 during the morning hours, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife located the gravely wounded bear and euthanized it,” read a statement issued by the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office.

Local residents told ABC News’ San Francisco station KGO that bear sightings are fairly common in the area and blamed people who come in from out of town and are not responsible when it comes to taking necessary precautions to avoid incidents like this one.

"Visitors come up and they leave their trash about and the bears then go ahead feel comfortable enough to roam the streets," Vincent Vidal told KGO.

"A lot of people who don't live here don't realize that they have to keep the trash safe, the doors locked, and not feed these guys," added Tyler Bradford.

The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office launched an investigation after the attack but determined the homeowner acted legally in shooting the bear and will not be charged for any wrongdoing.

El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office took the opportunity to warn people that attacks like these can happen and that there are ways to prevent things like these from happening again.

“We encourage all citizens to familiarize themselves with safety tips for bear encounters,” said the Sheriff’s Office.