A Hood River County Sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a cougar Friday night at a residence in Cascade Locks.  According to the Sheriff’s Office, the cougar was adjacent to a vehicle with an infant inside at a home on John Quincy Avenue, preventing the mother from being able to safely remove the child.  The cougar remained in close proximity when a deputy arrived, and at that point due to continuous close proximity and danger to the family because the animal would not leave the area, the deputy shot and killed it.  There had been three sightings of a cougar in that neighborhood over the past three weeks, and officers believe this was the same animal, and that it was growing increasingly comfortable in a more urban environment and was demonstrating a decrease in its fear of humans.  The animal has been turned over to Oregon State Police Fish & Game.