BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

Grizzly shot, killed after fatal attack of California woman

A bear trap set by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks sets Wednesday, July 7, 2021, in the camping area in Ovando, Mont., where bicycle tourist Leah Davis Lokan of Chico, California, was pulled out of her tent and killed by a grizzly bear early Tuesday. (Tom Bauer/Missoulian via AP)

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

maylen

https://digital-stage.newsnationnow.com/

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241114185800

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241115200405

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118165728

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241118184948

HELENA Mont. (AP) — Wildlife officials said they shot and killed a Montana grizzly bear Friday that had pulled a California woman from her tent and killed her earlier this week in the middle of a small Montana town.

The bear was shot by federal wildlife workers wearing night vision goggles shortly after midnight, when it approached a trap set near a chicken coop about 2 miles from Ovando, where Leah Davis Lokan, 65, of Chico, California, was killed early Tuesday morning, said Greg Lemon with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

The bear had raided the chicken coop overnight Wednesday, and officials set a baited trap nearby hoping to lure the animal back.

“Based on the size of the bear, the color of the bear and the nature of the chicken coop raids, we’re confident we’ve got the offending bear,” Lemon said.

On Thursday night, an Ovando woman came home and found her door ripped off and noticed large claw marks, Powell County Sheriff Gavin Roselles posted on Facebook. A short time later, the male grizzly bear was killed in the area.

Investigators gathered DNA evidence from the scene of the attack that killed Lokan and will compare it to samples gathered from the dead grizzly bear to be sure the bear that was killed was the one that attacked Lokan. The results could be available in the next three days.

Until then, Roselles said he would maintain the closure of outdoor campsites available in Ovando.

Lokan was an experienced outdoors woman and cyclist who was on a mountain biking trip. She and her party were camped by Ovando’s post office early Tuesday when she was attacked.

Friends said Lokan was a free spirit, competitive and adventuresome and was aware of the dangers she faced on the trip.

West

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Site Settings Survey

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

AUTO TEST CUSTOM HTML 20241119133138

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Sunny

la

69°F Sunny Feels like 69°
Wind
6 mph SW
Humidity
27%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

Clear to partly cloudy. Low 47F. Winds light and variable.
47°F Clear to partly cloudy. Low 47F. Winds light and variable.
Wind
2 mph NNE
Precip
11%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Waning Gibbous