VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. - Reports say a California man is facing criminal charges for killing a protected mountain lion.

According to ABC News, 60-year-old Alfredo Gonzalez is accused of fatally shooting a collared mountain lion named P-38 in July. The 7-year-old male mountain lion was found dead in the Simi Valley area with a gunshot wound to the head and his GPS-enabled radio collar vandalized.

The large cat was part of a cougar population being studied by biologists with the National Park Service, the Ventura County District Attorney's Office said.  P-38 was first collared in 2015 and predominately roamed parts of the Santa Susana Mountains.

The district attorney's office said biologists detected a mortality signal from P-38's collar on July 2. In California, it's unlawful to kill a mountain lion without a permit.

Gonzalez will be arraigned on October 9.