I also think location had alot to do with the decision to kill rather then tranquilize.
Tranquilizers do not take effect immediately, it takes a minute or two before the drug starts to kick in and sedate the animal, especially one as large as a cougar. However, the shot would be felt instantly and would probably spook and agitate the animal which might cause them to lunge or attack (a common cougar behaviour, they are more prone to attack then say a bear) for the minute or two before the drug kicks in. In a populated area, a minute or two could be enough for an angry animal to harm or kill a person.
It's tragic that an animal was killed, but I do believe the actions were appropriate. Public safety does need to be considered before an animal's safety and this situation left them with very few options. It's easy to look back in hindsight and pick apart the actions, but they only have a few minutes to make a decision in the best interest of everyone involved. The interested unfortunately were not favorable to the animal this time, they needed to incapacitate it quickly so that it was no longer a threat.
It's funny though how everyone seems to overlook the dozens of animals that are safely and effectively tranquilized in the city and moved to a different location when there is no or little threat to public safety. This will be remembered far more then the number of times they have tranquilized and removed an animal and released them safely without any incident.
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