A 23-year-old man accused of planning a fatal shooting in Salem died after a “medical emergency” at the Marion County Jail, the Sheriff’s Office said Sunday.

Frederic Gregory Fergusen, 23, had a medical emergency the evening of July 16 at the jail, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office. The release did not specify the nature of the emergency and Sgt. Jeremy Landers, Sheriff’s Office spokesman, declined to provide further details Monday, saying the death is under investigation.

Fergusen died at Salem Hospital after deputies and emergency medical technicians were unable to save his life, the release said.

Fergusen was jailed Jan. 23, Landers said. He faces charges of conspiracy to commit second-degree murder and solicitation to commit second-degree murder in the Jan. 16 shooting death of Joshua Steward, 24, according to court documents.

Steward was found dead in the driver’s seat of his car after crashing into a tree near Hoover Park in northeast Salem. After investigating his death, Salem police said Steward had been shot at the park, causing him to crash his car nearby.

An information sheet filed in the criminal case says Fergusen solicited someone else to carry out the shooting. Gerardo Trujillo-Torres, 16, was charged with Steward’s murder, The Oregonian reported. Ferguson also faced criminal charges of cocaine distribution and possession, and money laundering, court records show.

Fergusen’s death is being investigated by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the release said.

-Rachel Alexander

By Salem Reporter