Vineyard Residents Shaken By News Longtime Resident Was Slain In Calif.
BOSTON (CBS) – Residents of Martha's Vineyard are dealing with the news that a longtime resident was slain while vacationing in Northern California.
California investigators said Pat Gregory, 69, and a 76-year-old friend were hiking on a remote trail north of Red Bluff, Calif., on Friday. According to authorities, a robber randomly attacked the two and shot them.
Another hiker found the men three hours later. Officers said Gregory was dead and the other man was hospitalized.
Gregory is a longtime resident of the Vineyard. He served as the West Tisbury town moderator for more than 20 years. He had been a math teacher and he and his wife owned a computer business.
Cynthia Mitchell, a friend, said: "People here are reeling from this. People are very, very sad. (He was) engaging, lovely man who was devoted to his family and sort of the larger family of the Vineyard."
Friends described Gregory as a "rock" for everyone he knew.
Gregory's wife is already in California and their two children are going out there.
Mitchell, who is also on the West Tisbury Town Council, said they will work with the family on a memorial celebration of Gregory's life.
Officers have not made an arrest in the case.
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