College student held hostage by brother sues Albany officers who shot him 5 times - KPTV

When a 911 Call for Help Ends in Five Bullets and a Federal Lawsuit

David Lyon thought he was calling professionals who could de-escalate a family crisis. Instead, his desperate 911 call on January 6 set off a chain of events that left his youngest son fighting for his life with five gunshot wounds, courtesy of the very agency dispatched to protect them, KPTV reported. Now, that evening is at the center of a federal civil rights lawsuit that challenges how police assess chaotic domestic scenes.

The civil case, filed in federal court by Stritmatter Law and Levi Merrithew Horst PC, names the City of Albany and two police officers as defendants, alleging excessive force and Fourth Amendment violations. Additionally, the lawsuit includes negligence claims directed at Benton County and probation officer Joshua Hall, noting that relatives had urged county authorities to lock up the older sibling, Dakota Lyon, twenty-four hours before the event because family members warned authorities he had relapsed into dangerous drug use and was acting erratically.

How a Domestic Rescue Turned into a Police Shooting

The ordeal began unfolding on January 5 inside a home on the 1300 block of NW Twins Lane in Albany, Oregon. David and Laura Lyon told a Benton County probation officer that their 27-year-old son, Dakota, was acting dangerously toward family members after relapsing, according to the lawsuit. The county declined to take Dakota into custody.

Oregon police shooting mn — Photo: nbcnews.com

The situation escalated sharply the following day. David Lyon, away from the property, watched via security cameras as Dakota grabbed a knife and held his 21-year-old brother, Maverick, hostage. Maverick, a standout lacrosse player at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire, grabbed a knife of his own in self-defense and managed to escape through the back door.

Ring doorbell footage and court documents detail the seconds that followed. When officers arrived, they could identify Maverick and Dakota through a window, where Maverick was mouthing “help me” to the officers. When Maverick stepped outside, an officer deployed a Taser. According to the complaint, Maverick complied with commands and dropped the knife. Two officers then opened fire, shooting him at least five times.

College student held hostage by brother sues Albany officers who shot him 5 times

“I have always believed that when you call 911, help is coming. I never imagined that making that call would leave me wondering if my son was going to survive,” David and Laura Lyon said in a public statement provided by their legal team. “Our family has been through something no family should ever have to experience. 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.”

Alicia LeDuc Montgomery, an attorney representing the family, pointed out that responding officers had descriptions of both brothers and should have recognized that Maverick Lyon was the victim. “The aggressor did not have a shirt on. But Maverick did,” Montgomery noted, adding that video footage captures officers calling the wounded college student by his first name while ordering him to roll over onto his stomach to be handcuffed.

The physical toll on the young athlete was catastrophic. According to his legal representation, surgeons had to remove half of Maverick Lyon’s right lung, his spleen, and his appendix, while also performing extensive reconstructive surgery on his digestive system during a four-week hospital stay.

Dakota Lyon Pleads Guilty to Multiple Charges

In the aftermath of the shooting, the Benton County District Attorney’s Office deemed the shooting legally justified. Meanwhile, Dakota Lyon faced criminal prosecution for his role in the terror, eventually pleading guilty in Benton County Circuit Court to second-degree attempted kidnapping, unlawful use of a weapon, and coercion. He was sentenced to 77 months in prison.

As for the legal response, the Albany Police Department chose not to issue a statement because they have not yet received official papers for the lawsuit, while representatives for Benton County noted that they maintain a policy against addressing ongoing legal disputes. The lawsuit seeks a jury trial and damages, leaving a federal court to determine whether police decisions on that January day crossed the line into unlawful violence.