Mountain lion kills 1, injures another in California

GEORGETOWN, Calif. (AP) — A mountain lion in Northern California killed one man and injured another while the two were out hunting for shed antlers, authorities said Saturday.

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

Deputies arrived around 1:30 p.m. to find the younger brother with “traumatic injuries” to his face. Minutes later, deputies saw a crouched mountain lion next to the older brother on the ground, according to the statement.

They fired their guns and scared off the mountain lion, but the older brother was deceased.

Wardens with 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 town about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northeast of Sacramento.

Mountain lions have attacked humans previously, but the last fatal encounter was in 2004 in Orange County, according to a verified list kept by the fish and wildlife department.