From the January 17, 2006 San Jose Mercury-News:
RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif. - A homeowner shot a mountain lion in the back yard of a Trabuco Canyon home Tuesday and authorities then tracked down the wounded cougar and killed it.
The mountain lion fled from the residence into a ravine near an elementary school where by sheriff's deputies and state Department of Fish and Game wardens had no choice but to shoot it, said Orange County Sheriff's Department spokesman Jim Amormino.
"A wounded cat is an extremely dangerous cat," Amormino said.
The incident will be investigated to determine whether the initial shooting was justified, he said.
Resident Laurie Hill said she saw the 90-pound mountain lion in the back yard of her Cimarron Lane home at about 7 a.m. and her husband went to investigate. The residential area is next to Cleveland National Forest, about 30 miles southeast of Santa Ana.
Bill Hill, a former Stanton police officer and now a private investigator, told TV reporters he shot twice with his 9 mm pistol.
"I grabbed my gun and as I looked back, I'm looking about 20 feet, 15 feet from this cat and it sees me, crouches down, bares its teeth," he said. "I don't hear any growling or anything and at that time it started to move and I just instinctively cranked off two rounds at it. The first one I know I hit it because ... the way it jumped."
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