Autopsy: Nevada man dies from bullet

fired by his companion wound to chest, autopsy says

The 39-year-old Nevada man, who

reportedly was mauled fatally by a grizzly bear in northern Lincoln

County on Sept. 16, actually died as a result of a gunshot wound to

the chest, according to autopsy results.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department

released a statement of the autopsy findings on Friday via a press

release, a week after authorities were summoned to the remote area

that borders the Idaho border.

Killed was Steve Stevenson, 39, of

Winnemucca, Nev., after he and hunting partner, Ty Bell, 20, also

of Winnemucca, followed a wounded grizzly into thick brush after

Bell shot and wounded the grizzly he believed to be a black

bear.

Black bears may be hunted. Grizzlies

are protected by the Endangered Species Act.

Early reports said the pair was hunting

near the Montana-Idaho border when Bell shot the bear he believed

to be a black bear. The pair tracked their quarry into the brush

where they encountered the wounded boar grizzly said to be about

400 pounds.

Printed accounts of what ensued have

indicated Stevenson drew the attention of the grizzly in an attempt

to draw the bear to him and away from Bell. Turning its attention

to Stevenson, the large grizzly mauled Stevenson and Bell

repeatedly shot at the grizzly, which some accounts put on top of

Stevenson. One of those rounds is believed to be the one that

fatally wounded Stevenson.

“It was a tragic accident, that started

off bad and went downhill from there,” Lincoln County Sheriff Roby

Bowe said Saturday commenting on the press release.

A brief, three-paragraph statement from

Lincoln County Undersheriff Brent Faulkner explained the statement

from the Montana State Crime Lab Medical Examiner.

“The … medical examiner has notified

the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office that Mr. Stevenson’s death was

caused by a single gunshot wound to the chest.

“In an attempt to stop the grizzly

bear’s attack on Stevenson, hunting partner Ty Bell shot the bear

multiple times. One of those rounds struck Stevenson in the

chest.”

The statement concludes: “The

investigation by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and Montana

Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks is continuing. The Lincoln

County Sheriff’s Office does not expect to release any further

information regarding this case for at least another three

weeks.”

Stevenson and Bell had paired off as

part of a four-man hunting party seeking black bears in the rugged

Purcell Mountains that straddle northeastern Idaho and northwestern

Montana.

Preliminary findings from the

investigation showed the grizzly was on top of Stevenson at one

point and that the animal was dragging him, according to published

reports.

In Montana, hunters must take an

on-line exam to help them determine the difference between black

and grizzly bears, tests necessary to protect the endangered

species. The exam is available on the Fish, Wildlife & Parks

Web site at http://fwp.mt.gov/education/hunter/bearID/

During the brief interview Saturday,

Sheriff Bowe said he did not anticipate charges would be filed

against Bell in the shooting of Stevenson.

The area the men were hunting is a

grizzly bear recovery zone.