Robber kills hiker in remote Northern California

RED BLUFF, Calif. - A Massachusetts man was fatally shot and his hiking partner was wounded in a robbery on a Northern California trail, authorities said Saturday.

Francis "Pat" Gregory, 69, of West Tisbury, and a 76-year-old man from Manton, California, were hiking a trail north of Red Bluff on Friday when they were confronted by a gunman, said Tehama County Sheriff's Lt. Dave Greer.

The robber shot the men after taking their money and belongings, and left the victims for dead on a remote part of the trail until another hiker came upon them about three hours later.

Gregory died at the scene; the surviving victim was hospitalized with critical injuries. A doctor told investigators he was expected to pull through, Greer said.

The men were found about 100 yards from the start of a Bureau of Land Management trail that leads through grasslands, oak trees and lava rocks to an overlook above a bend in the Sacramento River.

Greer said the trail is a popular trekking destination on weekends but can be desolate during the week.

Gregory was the owner of the EduComp computer store on Martha's Vineyard and was a longtime town moderator in West Tisbury.