Maverick Lyon did everything a hostage is supposed to do. According to a federal lawsuit filed this week, the 21 year old Saint Anselm lacrosse player escaped the brother who was holding him at knifepoint, dropped the knife he had grabbed to defend himself, and stepped outside with his hands where officers could see them. They shot him at least five times.
It happened on January 6 at the family home in North Albany, Oregon. The lawsuit says his older brother Dakota, 27, had relapsed into drug use a day after the family warned his probation officer he was getting dangerous, and that morning he grabbed Maverick in the kitchen and held a knife on him. Their father saw it on the home security camera and called 911, telling the dispatcher Dakota was the shirtless one.
Maverick mouthed for help through a window to an officer outside, the complaint says. When he ran out the back door, Officer Matt Thomas fired twice and Officer Engle Diaz fired five times, according to the lawsuit. Another officer tased him, and he was handcuffed on the patio. Home camera footage of the shooting started spreading online this week, which is how a January shooting became this week’s story.
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.
David Lyon, the brothers’ father
Surgeons removed half of his right lung, his spleen and his appendix. He spent four weeks in the hospital and lost his senior lacrosse season. Dakota pleaded guilty to attempted kidnapping, unlawful use of a weapon and coercion, and is serving a little over six years in prison.
The Benton County District Attorney reviewed the shooting and ruled it justified, calling it tragic and saying the officers had fractions of a second to decide. The lawsuit, filed this week against the city, both officers and the county, argues the officers knew exactly who the hostage was and shot him anyway. Those are allegations, not findings, and the case is headed for a jury.
His lawyer says Maverick is back at Saint Anselm and able to play again this semester. His parents say they want answers, accountability, and changes, so the next family that calls 911 gets help.
See also: An ICE Agent Stabbed a Couple’s Tire After They Filmed Him in Oregon, and the ACLU Has the Video.