Family pays tribute to New Mexico man killed by bear: ‘He was a strong person’
Summary
A 67-year-old man named Benjamin Halona was killed by a bear inside his home in the Navajo Nation community of Crystal, New Mexico. His family remembers him for his strength, his work as a wildland firefighter, and his local tamale business, rather than the unusual way he died.Key Facts
- Benjamin Halona was 67 years old and lived in Crystal, New Mexico, within the Navajo Nation.
- He was recovering from a seizure that had limited his ability to move, requiring a walker and wheelchair.
- On August 20, a bear entered his home and fatally attacked him while his stepson was briefly away.
- The stepson locked himself in a room, hid, and called for emergency help.
- Police shot and killed the bear after it fled the house.
- Benjamin was known locally as "Ponjo," "Mountain Man," and "Tamale Man" and sold tamales in his community.
- He was proud of his work as a wildland firefighter on the Navajo reservation.
- A notable memory for his family is when he sang with the late country singer Waylon Jennings in 2002, an event Benjamin greatly cherished.
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