A Benton County district attorney’s memorandum cleared Albany officers Matt Thomas and Engle Diaz of wrongdoing in the Jan. 6 shooting of Maverick Lyon. Lyon’s federal lawsuit disputes that conclusion, alleging he had dropped a knife and raised his hands before officers shot him at least five times outside his family’s North Albany home. The 21-year-old college student is suing the city, the officers, Benton County and a county probation officer.
A Brother's Relapse Turns Violent
The case began before officers arrived. According to oregonlive.com, Maverick and Dakota Lyon’s parents told Benton County officials the day before the shooting that Dakota, 27, had relapsed and was using drugs. He had been released from prison in November 2025 to post-prison supervision for a prior assault and weapons conviction. A probation officer visited the home on Jan. 5 and spoke with him but did not take him into custody. The family said Dakota left and did not return that night.
Dakota returned around 10 a.m. the next day and ate breakfast with Maverick, the outlet reported. About 30 minutes later, Dakota called their father at work. The lawsuit says Dakota became increasingly agitated, delusional and nonsensical during the nearly 20-minute call, telling his father that people, including their father, were trying to kill him. After the call, he allegedly took a large kitchen knife and declared Maverick his hostage.
A Father Watches Through a Ring Camera
Maverick’s father watched the confrontation through a home surveillance camera and called 911 at 10:48 a.m. He told dispatchers Dakota was shirtless and wearing pajama pants, and Maverick was in a long-sleeve gray shirt. Investigators later determined Dakota held his brother against his will and moved him through the house while threatening him with a knife, per the same account. After trying to persuade Dakota to release him, Maverick picked up a knife for his own protection.
The lawsuit says Maverick dropped the knife as he crossed a doorway, mouthed “help me!” through a window as officers approached, then ran out the back door with both hands raised. It alleges officers shot him five times and Diaz continued firing after he fell. Ring doorbell footage cited in the suit captures Maverick saying, “You shot the wrong guy – he was holding me hostage.” The suit also alleges officers handcuffed him while he was bleeding on the ground.
What the District Attorney's Memorandum Found
The Benton County District Attorney’s Office concluded in March that Thomas and Diaz were legally justified in using deadly force. Its memorandum says Maverick dropped the knife “just as he crossed the plane of the door with his foot.” It states Thomas backed away from the door and fired twice while retreating, and Diaz fired five times. The office found there was no reasonable opportunity to use alternatives to force or give a verbal warning during the brief encounter, and said the officers had only fractions of a second to decide and could not have known Maverick had dropped the weapon.
What Albany’s public policies show
Albany Police Department’s public policy directory lists policies titled “Medical Aid Response” and “Use of Force,” according to the department. The directory page does not describe their provisions, explain what they require regarding warnings, de-escalation or coordination during a reported hostage incident, or establish whether officers followed them in Lyon’s case.
The DA’s office called the shooting an “absolute tragedy” and acknowledged that Maverick was a victim of his brother’s crimes, while clearing the officers. Dakota later pleaded guilty to attempted kidnapping, unlawful use of a weapon and coercion. In June, he was sentenced to 77 months in prison, followed by two years of post-prison supervision. Prosecutors said a urine sample taken on the day of the shooting tested positive for methamphetamine; the outlet reports Dakota had struggled with drug use after a knee injury.
Lawsuit Targets City, County and Probation Office
Maverick Lyon’s federal civil rights lawsuit names the City of Albany, Thomas and Diaz, Benton County, and a county probation officer, according to Stritmatter Law, the firm representing him. The complaint accuses officers of poor communication and coordination and of failing to use the clothing descriptions his father gave dispatchers. It seeks to hold the city and officers accountable for the shooting and Lyon’s injuries. The firm notes that the allegations have not been adjudicated in court.
Lyon spent four weeks in the hospital and underwent several operations, including the removal of part of his lungs, appendix and spleen, the outlet reports. His attorney, Alicia LeDuc Montgomery, says he will still need additional orthopedic and plastic surgery to repair facial injuries. Lyon, a student at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire, missed a full semester and his senior lacrosse season while recovering, though he was later able to return to play this semester.
Police shootings involving hostages have drawn scrutiny elsewhere in the country as well. In Waukesha, Wisconsin, officers shot a suspect and unintentionally wounded a hostage during a standoff at a Meijer store in July, according to WISN. In that case, a single police round unintentionally struck the hostage's hand after the 21-year-old suspect, Anthony Lehman, refused to drop a knife and an officer opened fire.
