A college student is suing after cops shot him five times while he tried to flee a hostage situation and knife attack in his own home.
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he → sue → home
Maverick Lyon, 21, was fleeing his family's North Albany, Oregon, home after being held at knifepoint by his brother, John “Dakota” Lyon, 27, when officers opened fire on January 6.
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officers → flee → January
The lawsuit against the city and two cops accuses officers of mishandling the response, citing poor communication, a lack of coordination and their failure to use the father's descriptions of the brothers' clothing to distinguish the hostage from the suspected attacker.
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lawsuit → accuse → attacker
Lyon repeatedly mouthed “Help me!” through a window as officers approached, but received no response, according to the lawsuit.
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officers → mouth → lawsuit
When he finally ran out the back door with both hands raised, he had already dropped the knife he was carrying in self-defense.
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he → run → defense
Officers Matt Thomas and Engle Diaz opened fire, with Diaz continuing to shoot after Lyon fell, the lawsuit alleges.
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lawsuit → open → fire
“You shot the wrong guy – he was holding me hostage,” Lyon told officers as he lay bleeding on the ground, according toRing doorbell camera footage cited in the lawsuit.
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he → shoot → lawsuit
Lyon was hospitalized for four weeks and underwent several operations, including the removal of part of his lungs, appendix and spleen.
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Lyon → hospitalize → lungs
The shooting forced him to miss a semester at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire and his senior lacrosse season.
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shooting → force → Hampshire
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.
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attorney → return → injuries
The incident began after Lyon's father called 911 to report that Dakota was holding his younger brother at knifepoint inside their family home.
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Dakota → begin → home
Dakota struggled with drug use following a knee injury and was living in a separate studio apartment inside his parents' home after being released from prison in November 2025.
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Dakota → struggle → November
He was serving post-prison supervision for a previous assault and weapons conviction.
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He → serve → conviction
The day before the shooting, the family told Benton County officials that Dakota had relapsed and was using drugs again.
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Dakota → tell → drugs
A probation officer visited the home and spoke with him but did not take him into custody.
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officer → visit → custody
Dakota left and did not return that night, according to his family.
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Dakota → leave → family
A urine sample collected after the January 6 incident tested positive for methamphetamine, prosecutors said.
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prosecutors → collect → methamphetamine
Dakota returned around 10 a.m. the next morning, while his parents were at work, and found Maverick making breakfast in the kitchen.
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Maverick → return → kitchen
The brothers initially sat down and ate together, according to the lawsuit.
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brothers → sit → lawsuit
About 30 minutes later, Dakota called their father at work.
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Dakota → call → work
The nearly 20-minute conversation took a turn as Dakota became increasingly agitated and “delusional and nonsensical,” the lawsuit alleges.
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lawsuit → take → turn
After ending the call, Dakota grabbed a large kitchen knife, took hold of Maverick and declared him a hostage.
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him → end → Maverick
He then began ranting that people, including their father, were trying to kill him, according to the lawsuit.
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people → begin → lawsuit
While the confrontation unfolded, the father watched through a home surveillance camera and provided dispatchers with descriptions of what his sons were wearing.
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sons → unfold → what
Dakota was shirtless and wearing pajama pants, while Maverick had on a long-sleeve gray shirt.
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Maverick → wear → shirt
Investigators later determined that Dakota had held Maverick against his will, forcing him to move throughout the house while threatening him with a knife.
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Dakota → determine → knife
Maverick eventually managed to escape and ran toward the back door.
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Maverick → manage → door
He was still carrying a second knife that he had picked up at his brother's direction, but his attorneys say he dropped it as he crossed the doorway.
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he → carry → doorway
Officers then fired five shots.
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Officers → fire → shots
Officers also handcuffed Maverick while he was bleeding on the ground, the lawsuit alleges.
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lawsuit → handcuff → ground
The Benton County District Attorney's Office ruled in March that the officers were justified in using deadly force, saying they had only fractions of a second to react and could not have known Maverick had dropped the knife.
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Maverick → rule → knife
The office acknowledged he was the victim of his brother's crimes but called the shooting an “absolute tragedy.”
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he → acknowledge → shooting
Dakota later pleaded guilty to attempted kidnapping, unlawful use of a weapon and coercion in connection with the incident.
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Dakota → plead → incident
He was sentenced to 77 months in prison – more than six years – and two years of post-prison supervision in June.
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He → sentence → June
The lawsuit seeks to hold the city and officers accountable for the shooting and the injuries Maverick suffered.
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Maverick → seek → shooting
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