(KTXL) — A 21-year-old man is dead and his 18-year-old brother was injured after a mountain lion reportedly attacked them in northern California on Saturday afternoon.
The attack happened shortly after 1 p.m. in Georgetown, about 50 miles northeast of Sacramento, according to the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office.
The 18-year-old was able to call for help after being attacked while hunting for shed antlers with his brother. The sheriff’s office said crews found he had suffered traumatic injuries to his face.
The 18-year-old had also become separated from his brother, whom emergency crews immediately began searching for when they arrived.
The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office said crews ultimately found the mountain lion crouching near the 21-year-old. Officers fired at the animal, which then fled the area.
Authorities rushed to provide aid to the man, but the sheriff’s office said he had died.
The 18-year-old was sent to the hospital and is expected to “be okay,” the sheriff’s office added.
The California Dept. of Fish & Wildlife says wardens captured the mountain lion and euthanized it.
According to the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, the last fatal mountain lion attack that took place in the area was about 30 years ago in 1994 when a woman named Barbara Schoener, 40, was running on some trails around the Cool area, which is about 12 miles west of Georgetown.
Late last year, a mountain lion wreaked havoc on Loomis, about 20 miles west of Georgetown, killing several residents’ livestock.
The last attack that killed a human in California was in 2004 in Orange County.