Mountain lion spotted in southern Laredo and shot by officers

LAREDO, Texas (KGNS) – A mountain lion spotted in south Laredo on Thursday morning, July 11, was shot and killed by officers after a homeowner found the animal on his property and reported it to police the next day.

The chain of events began a day after a video of the mountain lion went viral in Laredo Parish. The animal was found resting in a home near the 100 block of Crest Lane on Friday, July 12.

“In the morning I watched the news with my niece and saw that it was in Laredo, but I never thought it would be here,” said Walter Ramos, who found the animal on his property.

Ramos, a carpenter from South Laredo, said he was walking into his workshop around 8 a.m. when he spotted the large animal in the bushes. “Of course I was scared. It was so big,” Ramos added.

Fearing for his life and that of his parents, Ramos called the police to capture the animal.

“We were able to get here immediately and it was wedged into a wall back here in this apartment building,” said Investigator Joe Baeza of the Laredo Police Department.

Officers arrived at the scene and quickly cordoned off the danger zone. “You don’t know how an animal that is wild by nature will behave when it is trapped. It could be very defensive or have attacked someone. And what should you do if an animal jumps on a pedestrian or a child,” said Baeza.

For the police, the protection of the many people in the area was the top priority. “The animal became agitated. That is part of its survival instinct. As the officers told me, it became aggressive and then the officers had no other choice. It was looking for a way out,” explained Baeza.

Hours later, the police and the Laredo wildlife ranger opened fire, resulting in the animal’s death. “It is a regrettable outcome. Our priority, our mission, is to save lives. With an animal as beautiful as this one, it is a shame we did not achieve a better result, but it was done to protect the residents,” Baeza explained.

In a statement, Laredo Police clarified the situation: “An experienced LPD patrol officer and a state game warden shot the mountain lion. The plan was to tranquilize the animal. While we were waiting, the animal jumped out of a fenced area where officers had penned the mountain lion and unfortunately this left officers with no other option. Our intention was to preserve all life and save the animal as well.”

The use of force is currently being investigated by Laredo police. No injuries were reported.

According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, mountain lions are not exotic animals, but a native species in Texas.

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