A physical altercation on Friday leads to the death of a Salina man and an on-going investigation.

City of Salina Department of Police gave the following information in an offical media release:

“At 3:45 PM, July 5th, 2019, Salina Police Officers were dispatched to McDonald’s, 701 S. Broadway Blvd, for a report of an unconscious person in the parking lot. Officers Arrived on the scene and discovered Scott McMurray unconscious. McMurray was transported by Salina Fire Department EMS to the Salina Regional Health Center (SRHC), where he was treated by emergency room medical staff.

During the initial on-scene investigation, officers were told that McMurray was involved in a physical altercation with Austin Ferguson. At one point during the altercation, Ferguson landed a punch to McMurray, which caused McMurray to fall to the pavement. 

Ferguson had remained on the scene and was taken to the police department for questioning. at approximately 6:30 PM, Ferguson was booked into the Saline County Jail on charges that included aggravated battery and aggravated assault.

SRHC Emergency Room medical staff discovered McMurray’s medical condition was deteriorating and was taken to the operating room. At 10:06 PM, McMurray was pronounced deceased on July 5, 2019. 

As the investigation continued over the weekend, new and reliable information was discovered. After discussing the case with the Saline County Attorney’s Office and Considering the statutes of Kansas, Ferguson was released with no charges from the Saline County Jail on July 7, 2019 at 12:34 PM.

The investigation into this tragic incident is on-going.”  – Contact: Capt. Gary Hanus

According to other information from Captain Gary Hanus of the Salina Police Department:

Scott McMurray was a 32 year-old from Salina, Austin Ferguson is a 29 year-old from Salina. The altercation was most likely regarding a female individual both parties knew.

An autopsy has been ordered and the investigation is on-going. More information will be released later.