Maverick Lyon files suit over Albany police shooting after domestic disturbance

Maverick Lyon files suit over Albany police shooting after domestic disturbance

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Lawsuit Filed After Police Shoot Oregon College Student Fleeing Knife Attack

When a college student in Oregon escaped his brother’s knifepoint hold and ran for help, police shot him five times, leaving him hospitalized for four weeks. Maverick Lyon, 21, is now suing the city of Albany and two officers, alleging excessive force and negligence during a January 6 domestic disturbance.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, alleges that officers mishandled the response, citing poor communication and a failure to use his father’s descriptions of the brothers’ clothing to distinguish the hostage from the attacker. Lyon repeatedly mouthed “Help me!” through a window as officers approached but received no response, according to the lawsuit.

The Ordeal in Albany

The family’s ordeal began after Jan. 5, when David and Laura Lyon told a Benton County probation officer their elder son, Dakota, was “acting dangerously toward family members” and had relapsed into using drugs. The next day, after watching a security video of the altercation, their father called 911 as Dakota’s behavior escalated, taking Maverick hostage with a large kitchen knife.

Man shot, injured by Albany police officer suing agency for excessive force

Dakota Lyon, 27, had been living in a separate studio apartment inside his parents’ home after being released from prison in November 2025 for a previous assault and weapons conviction. A urine sample collected after the January 6 incident tested positive for methamphetamine, prosecutors said.

During the confrontation, Maverick grabbed another knife in self-defense and managed to escape through the back door, according to the lawsuit. When police told him to come outside and drop the knife, he complied. Yet, the lawsuit alleges, officers Matt Thomas and Engle Diaz opened fire, with Diaz continuing to shoot after Lyon fell to the ground.

Maverick Lyon files suit over Albany police shooting after domestic disturbance
Photo: yahoo.com

A Family Torn Apart

“You shot the wrong guy – he was holding me hostage,” Lyon told officers as he lay bleeding, according to Ring doorbell camera footage cited in the lawsuit. His injuries were severe: surgeons “removed half of his right lung, his spleen, his appendix, and performed extensive reconstructive surgery on his digestive system,” the lawsuit says.

The shooting forced him to miss a semester at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire and his senior lacrosse season. He has since returned to playing but will need additional orthopedic and plastic surgery to repair his facial injuries, his attorney Alicia LeDuc Montgomery said.

Maverick Lyon police shooting

“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, Maverick’s parents, issued a statement saying they called the police to protect their son, not to see him nearly lose his life. “Our family has been through something no family should ever have to experience,” they said.

The Legal Battle Over Justification

The lawsuit alleges excessive force, battery, negligence, and violation of Maverick Lyon’s Fourth Amendment rights. It seeks a jury trial and damages. In response, Benton County District Attorney Ryan S. Joslin previously ruled that the shooting was justified, stating that officers’ decision to fire their weapons was based on an “objectively reasonable belief that to do so was necessary in order to protect their own lives or the lives of fellow officers.”

“The decision ‘must be made in light of what the officers knew and perceived leading up to and at the exact time their decision was made,’ he said. ‘In this case, the officers, in real time, had only fractions of a second to decide how to act,’” Joslin said.

The city of Albany, named as a defendant in the lawsuit, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Albany Police Department said at the time that its officers were involved in a shooting after responding to a domestic disturbance and encountering a person with a knife, adding that they “immediately rendered medical aid until emergency personnel arrived.”

Police shoot wrong man during Albany domestic violence incident

Family Seeks Accountability and Changes

Dakota Lyon was later sentenced to more than six years for the incident with his brother. He acknowledged his responsibility, and his attorney said Lyon wished he could have taken the bullets instead of his brother.

Maverick Lyon’s parents support their son’s lawsuit. “We cannot change what happened that day, but we want answers, accountability, and changes that help prevent another family from experiencing the pain ours has,” they said. “Most importantly, we want Maverick to have every opportunity to heal, move forward, and live the life he deserves.”

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