(picture courtesy of the Salina Post)
SALINA (AP) – A Salina man was sentenced to 15 years and four months in prison for fatally shooting a teenager after a fight in a city park.
Jose M. Garay was sentenced Tuesday for second-degree murder in the July 2010 death of 17-year-old Derek Rico.
Investigators said a fight broke out in the park after Rico stopped a car in which Garay was riding. The fight was gang-related but police say Garay was not a member of a gang.
Testimony indicated Rico was fighting with another man when Garay walked up to the fight, pulled a gun and shot Rico.
Garay has previous convictions for battery of a law enforcement officer and possession of drugs for a Saline County case going back to 2003. He had served time at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility, Central Unit prior to his release on September 28, 2007.
