A college lacrosse player is suing the police after being shot five times in a case of alleged mistaken identity.
According to the New York Post, Maverick Lyon had just escaped from his own brother, who was holding him at knifepoint, when he encountered police officers responding to a 911 call his father had placed.
Moments later, the 21-year-old was lying on the ground outside his family’s home with five gunshot wounds.
On Wednesday, Lyon filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city of Albany, Oregon, and two of its police officers, accusing them of using excessive force and of negligence.
Held at knifepoint
According to the lawsuit, Lyon was home from Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire, where he was a senior business major and lacrosse player, when the terrifying incident happened on January 6, 2026.
His older brother, 27-year-old John “Dakota” Lyon, had relapsed into drug use and was behaving dangerously. That day, the lawsuit says, Dakota took Maverick hostage at knifepoint inside their parents’ home.
Their father, David Lyon, saw what was happening on the home’s security cameras and called 911.
“Our family has been through something no family should ever have to experience,” David 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.”
When police surrounded the house, the lawsuit says, officers could see both brothers through a window. Maverick was allegedly mouthing “help me” to them. The lawsuit also claims that Dakota was known to officers, and that the father had told them what each of his sons was wearing.
During the ordeal, Maverick grabbed his own knife to defend himself. According to the lawsuit, he was carrying it at his brother’s direction, and he dropped it as he went out the back door.
“You guys got the wrong guy”
Surveillance footage released by Maverick’s attorneys shows four officers standing outside as Maverick walks out of the house. One officer fires a Taser, and two others open fire.
Maverick was hit at least five times, in the chest, back and face. The lawsuit claims that one officer kept firing after he had already fallen to the ground. As he lay bleeding, Maverick can be heard telling officers: “You guys got the wrong guy. He was holding me hostage.”
According to the lawsuit, instead of giving him medical help right away, officers shouted at him to roll over so they could handcuff him.
Months of recovery
Maverick survived, but spent four weeks in the hospital and underwent several surgeries, in which doctors removed part of his lungs, his appendix and his spleen. He missed his spring semester and his senior lacrosse season.
The Albany Police Department said at the time that officers had responded to a domestic disturbance and encountered a person with a knife. The department said that two officers fired their weapons, and that they immediately gave medical aid until paramedics arrived.
After an investigation, the Benton County District Attorney ruled that the shooting was justified. He concluded that the officers had an objectively reasonable belief that they needed to fire to protect their own lives or the lives of other officers.
Dakota Lyon was later sentenced to more than six years in prison for what he did to his brother.
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