Gunfire on popular California trail sends hikers scrambling for cover

Three people from Southern California were arrested late last week after frightening and endangering hikers along a popular Sierra Nevada hiking trail.  

In a news release, the Mono County Sheriff’s Office said gunfire erupted on Sept. 26 just before 2 p.m. with Mono County Dispatch receiving multiple calls from hikers on Parker Lake Trail, near June Lake reporting gunshots in the area.  

“Our dispatcher could hear the shots while on the phone with the caller,” authorities said in the release. “Responding deputies were able to ascertain where the shots were coming from and, fearing an active shooter, immediately moved toward the sound of fire.”  

Many of the hikers reported hearing and feeling bullets passing overhead and immediately ran for cover, hiding behind rocks and trees until the gunfire stopped.  

Fortunately, authorities said that no one was injured but that the hikers were incredibly frightened and definitely in harm’s way.  

Deputies, along with personnel from the California Highway Patrol, United State Forest Service law enforcement and the Mammoth Lake Police Department eventually located the three shooters, all engaging in target practice north of the trail.   

“The target shooters stopped their activity and complied with deputies’ directions,” officials said.  

The three shooters, all residents of Southern California, were taken into custody and booked into Mono County Jail for felony charges of willful discharge of a firearm in a grossly negligent manner.  

Authorities did not identify the three target shooters, nor did they say where in Southland they are from.  

One of North America’s major mountain ranges, the Sierra Nevada spans some 400 miles, forming what’s often considered the backbone of California, with iconic landmarks like Yosemite, Lake Tahoe and Mt. Whitney.