A tragic incident unfolded in a remote area of Northern California’s foothills over the weekend, as a mountain lion attacked two brothers who were hunting for shed antlers. The 21-year-old man was killed in the attack, while his 18-year-old brother was left injured.
The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office received a call from the younger brother around 1:15 p.m. reporting the attack and his separation from his sibling. Deputies arrived on the scene to find the 18-year-old with traumatic injuries to his face and began administering aid. The older brother was later found deceased with the mountain lion crouched over him.
Deputies were forced to fire their service weapons to scare off the mountain lion, which sat between them and the victim. The big cat was later located and euthanized by wildlife officers.
The brothers have not been publicly identified, and there have been no updates on the younger brother’s condition. Georgetown, where the incident took place, is a historic town with a population of just over 2,000 people located northeast of Sacramento.
This tragic event serves as a reminder of the dangers posed by wildlife encounters, with nearly two dozen reported mountain lion attacks on humans since the mid-80s. The last fatal encounter occurred in 2004 in Orange County. Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story.
