Three Southern California residents were arrested last week after firing guns near a popular hiking trail, sending hikers fleeing for safety.
The Mono County Sheriff’s Office reported that on Sept. 26, just before 2 p.m., dispatch received multiple calls from hikers on Parker Lake Trail near June Lake reporting gunshots. “Our dispatcher could hear the shots while on the phone with the caller,” officials said. Deputies immediately responded, fearing an active shooter.
Hikers described bullets passing overhead, prompting them to hide behind rocks and trees. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
Law enforcement personnel, including the Mono County Sheriff’s deputies, California Highway Patrol, U.S. Forest Service, and Mammoth Lakes Police, later located the shooters north of the trail, where they were conducting target practice. The three complied with deputies’ orders and were booked into Mono County Jail on felony charges of willful discharge of a firearm in a grossly negligent manner.
Authorities did not release the shooters’ names or specific hometowns.
The Sierra Nevada, where the incident occurred, stretches roughly 400 miles across California and is home to iconic landmarks such as Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, and Mt. Whitney.
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