Sep. 27—The Moscow Police Department on Friday responded to rumors circulating about the Wednesday night fight on the University of Idaho campus that left a Moscow man hospitalized.
So far, police have shared that it responded to a report of a battery just before 9 p.m. Wednesday near Idaho and Deakin avenues. Officers found an adult male with significant injuries.
The MPD confirmed in a news release that the altercation occurred between two males despite rumors the injured male was attacked by multiple assailants.
The MPD also says that the injured male was not “curb stomped” as the rumors describe. Police say the evidence shows his head was not stomped against the curb of a street.
Austen Dawson, 26, was identified as the victim by Adam Dawson, his father, and Jennifer Menegas, his grandmother. Austen Dawson was transported to St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Lewiston where he remains hospitalized. He will likely be kept in a medically induced coma for a few days, said Adam Dawson, who posted a picture of his son in a St. Joe’s hospital bed on social media.
Austen Dawson is a DoorDash employee who was delivering food to a residence on campus when the fight occurred, according to his family.
Adam Dawson said Friday his son is still in an induced coma. He said the first responders had to bring Austen back to life while he was being transported to the hospital Wednesday night.
Adam Dawson said he saw a cellphone video of the fight that the police have also seen. He said the video shows the other person lifting up Austen Dawson and slamming him onto the ground. It allegedly shows Austen Dawson’s head striking the curb.
He said the fight should have stopped when Austen Dawson hit the ground, but the attacker kept punching him. That’s one of the reasons he believes police should file charges.