Cougar Shot And Killed After Roaming Downtown And Short Chase

Tuesday morning, a medium-sized cougar was cause for concern when it was spotted in downtown El Paso inside a parking garage.

It was able to escape the garage and ran through the St. Clement’s School breezeway, according to the school’s headmaster, Nick Cobos.

“There were some children in the pavilion area but no one was in danger,” Cobos said. “The cougar just wanted to get out of there. He ran right past me. As it ran past me, I reacted quickly and called a lockdown.”

Video ABC-7 shot of the incident shows teachers picking up students and children running and screaming as the cougar ran through the breezeway.

Cobos said the cougar was able to get over a 6-foot rock wall separating the school grounds and H&H Car Wash and Coffee Shop, where the cougar was trapped.

El Paso police said officials made two attempts to tranquilize the mountain lion throughout this incident which were not successful. Two officers — one El Paso Police officer and the other an agent with the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission — discharged their firearms, striking the mountain lion and killing it as it attempted to escape from the perimeter set by the responding officers, police said.

At this time the El Paso Police Department’s Shooting Review Team is conducting an investigation into this incident.

Although these incidents are rare, police said the public should be mindful that our close proximity to the Franklin Mountains does allow for these types of incidents to occur. Should anyone come in contact with any wild animals they are asked to contact authorities and not try to capture or detain them.

The St. Clement’s lockdown was lifted after the cougar was killed.