Salina Post proudly presents Flashback Friday in partnership with the Smoky Hill Museum. Enjoy a weekly tidbit of local history from the staff at Salina Post and the Smoky Hill Museum as we present "Salina-Flashback Fridays."
By SALINA POST
In 1974, Salina Public Schools USD 305 sold about 24 acres of land to the City of Salina to build a new park. One year later, the city found the park's namesake through a local tragedy.
Saline County Commission Chair Joe Hay shared his story of the day Salina Police Department Patrolman Jerry Ivey died in the line of duty, leading to the namesake of Jerry Ivey Memorial Park.
Today, each May, Salina and Saline County Law Enforcement officers, deputies and staff gather to memorialize the death of officers from the United States and the local area.
READ MORE: Peace Officer Memorial Ceremony honors fallen local officers from Salina
A first-hand account of Ivey's death
While working at a 777 Gas Station in town, Hay said he regularly met with Ivey since he would stop by the convenience store to get coffee and chat with the station attendees.
Friday morning, June 13, 1975, Patrolman Ivey arrived at the 777 Gas Station after pulling over a vehicle in a traffic stop.
"We were having a cup of coffee and standing around, and that's when we noticed a police car pull another car over into a parking lot," Hay said. "Of course, I had to be nosey, and I had to walk out and see what was going on."
Hay walked out of the gas station and witnessed the exchange next to a nearby phone booth. He saw Ivey exit his patrol car and approach the parked vehicle — Hay said Ivey said something before the encounter changed.
"About that time, shots rang out," Hay said. "I hit the ground where the telephone was and hid behind the telephone down on the ground."
"Some shots were exchanged, and I actually watched — it would have been the guy that did it, Roy Earl Shultz. [I] watched him come around the front of Jerry's car to where Jerry was."
Hay wasn't sure if Shultz had wounded Ivey at the time, but Hay witnessed Shultz fire a single fatal gunshot wound to Ivey.
According to Hay, Shultz then took Ivey's shotgun from the police car and drove away in the vehicle Ivey pulled over. Hay then rushed to Ivey's side, grabbed the patrol car radio and called for help.
The dispatcher immediately instructed him to get off the communication lines, but Hay said he continued to ask for an ambulance and described the scene to the dispatcher.
"After the third or fourth time that she asked me to get off, I could hear the ambulance coming," Hay said. "At that time, I could tell Jerry wasn't breathing."
"The ambluance got there, did what they needed to do, and went from there. It was — it just seemed to be so fast — it seemed like it was just 'Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!' and then it was over with."
Hay said he participated in some trial proceedings after the event due to his proximity but remained close to Ivey's family and stays in touch with Ivey's sons today.
A cohort of Kansas law enforcement agencies eventually located and arrested Shultz for the crime.
According to the Smoky Hill Museum, the city installed a bronze plaque telling Ivey's story at Jerry Ivey Memorial Park, alongside its various features, trails and scenic areas that many Salina residents and visitors enjoy today.
Throughout the last quarter of the 20th Century, the City of Salina built walking and jogging paths, various sporting courts, picnic shelters, a large pavilion and playground equipment.