ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A hyper-aggressive black bear moved back and forth between two women in an attack this week that left a newlywed dead and her co-worker injured in a remote area of Alaska, their employer said Thursday.

Erin Johnson of Anchorage died and Ellen Trainor of Fairbanks sustained minor injuries in the attack Monday near a mine located about 275 miles northeast of Anchorage.

Johnson, 27, and Trainor, 38, were collecting geological samples as employees of environmental services firm ABR.

They were working about five miles from the Pogo Mine when the mauling occurred. The bear was killed later that day.

ABR president Steve Murphy said the women were trained in bear safety, and both had extensive outdoor experience. Johnson had gotten married less than two weeks before her death, Murphy said.

Trainor was knocked down first, according to Murphy. The woman used bear deterrent spray at some point to no avail. Murphy didn’t know if Johnson was able to use her bear spray. “The bear moved between them more than once, and Ellen is certain that she sprayed the bear very thoroughly,” he said. “But it was just a hyper-aggressive bear.”

On Sunday, 16-year-old Patrick “Jack” Cooper was killed after he got lost during a mountain race south of Anchorage. Officials killed that bear Tuesday.