Mountain lion kills 1, injures another in California

GEORGETOWN, California — A mountain lion in Northern California killed one man and injured another as the two hunted for shed antlers, authorities said Saturday.

An 18-year-old man called the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office Saturday afternoon to report that he and his 21-year-old brother had been attacked by a mountain lion in a remote part of the county, the office said in a news release.

Officers arrived around 1:30 p.m. and found the younger brother with “traumatic injuries” to his face. Minutes later, officers saw a cowering mountain lion lying on the ground next to the older brother, the statement said.

They fired their guns and scared the mountain lion away, but the older brother was dead.

Wardens from California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife are searching for the mountain lion. The department did not immediately respond to emails and a phone message seeking more details.

Georgetown is a small, historic city about 50 miles northeast of Sacramento.

Cougars have attacked people before, but the last fatal encounter occurred in 2004 in Orange County, according to a verified list maintained by the Department of Fish and Wildlife.