A 21-year-old man was killed and his 18-year-old brother was badly injured in an extremely rare and “horrific” mountain lion attack in California over the weekend, according to the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office.
Taylen Robert Claude Brooks of Mt. Aukum, CA was killed, while his younger brother, Wyatt Brooks, suffered traumatic injuries in the attack described in shocking detail by police and family.
“We would like to express our sincere thanks for the outpouring of support and prayers from
family, friends and the community,” family said in a statement Monday. “We are all devastated by the tragic loss of Taylen yet thankful Wyatt is still with us and are well-aware the outcome could have been even worse.”
Nobody has died in a mountain lion attack in the state in two decades.
The brothers were out looking for shed deer antlers near the community of Georgetown, which is something they often did this time of year, according to their loved ones.
“Taylen and Wyatt grew up in Southern El Dorado County where they enjoyed hunting and
fishing together, almost daily,” family added. “These two young men being as close as any two brothers
could be, lived a full energetic life enjoying the outdoors.”
The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office also released details of the March 23 attack.
As the men were walking along Skid Road, a dirt road around 1 pm, they saw the cougar. The animal approached them. The men yelled at the animal, put their hands up to appear larger and even threw a backpack at the big cat.
But none of it scared the animal.
Police and family described the horror of happened next.
“Instead of retreat, the lion immediately charged Wyatt, bit down on his face and took Wyatt
to the ground,” police explained.
“While Taylen beat on and yelled at the lion, Wyatt was able to wrestle the lion to the ground with him on top of the lion. The lion began clawing at Wyatts midsection causing Wyatt to release his grip. At that point, the lion released Wyatt, got up and charged Taylen, biting Taylen in the throat and taking Taylen to the ground.”
Wyatt tried to fight off the mountain lion and get it off his brother. He also started calling 911 before running back toward their vehicle to get better cell service. He quickly drove the vehicle back to the scene of the attack, but alarmingly, both Taylen and the cougar were gone.
Wyatt drove to meet paramedics and police. He underwent reconstructive surgery to his face, but is expected to make a full recovery.
Police went back to search for Taylen.
Not far away, they found the mountain lion “crouching” over the body of the young man. Police fired shots toward the animal to scare it away — and it eventually it did take off.
But officials said Taylen was already dead.
Later, wardens and trappers from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife along with the El Dorado County Trapper responded to the scene. They tracked the big cat for about 100 years before finding it up a tree and killed it.
Family is accepting donations through the El Dorado Community Foundation. Any other crowdfunding efforts that have been set up are not associated with the family, police added.
“A brother is a friend given by nature. These two brothers were driven by nature,” loved ones said.
