Oregon College Athlete Shot by Police in Brother Mix-Up
A college lacrosse player was allegedly being held at knifepoint when police arrived and shot him five times before tasing him, mistakenly identifying him as his drug-addicted brother, according to a new lawsuit.
Graphic body-camera footage obtained by The Oregonian shows Maverick Lyon, 21, lying wounded and bleeding in the backyard of his family’s North Albany, Oregon, home. After officers opened fire, Lyon can be heard moaning, “You guys got the wrong guy — he was holding me hostage.”
The video then shows officers turning Lyon onto his back and handcuffing him.
Lyon, who played lacrosse at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire, ran out the back door on Jan. 6 after his brother, Dakota Lyon, allegedly held him at knifepoint. Dakota, who had recently been released from prison, was reportedly under the influence of drugs.
“Our family has been through something no family should ever have to experience,” David Lyon, the father of Maverick and Dakota, told KOIN.
“I called the police that day because I wanted to protect Maverick, and instead, the very people I called for help ended up nearly taking his life.”
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According to the lawsuit, Lyon was shot in the chest, back and face. Another officer also tased him. The complaint accuses the Albany Police Department of negligence and excessive force.
Lyon spent four weeks in the hospital and underwent multiple surgeries, his attorney, Alicia LeDuc Montgomery, told The Oregonian.
The injuries forced him to miss the spring semester and his senior lacrosse season, although he has been able to return to the sport this semester.
Lyon alleges that he dropped a knife he had picked up in self-defense before officers began shooting, according to the lawsuit.
LeDuc Montgomery said the case highlights the “devastating consequences when law enforcement fails to distinguish someone asking for help from someone posing a threat.”
