HBCU football player to win millions after police shooting

Incoming HBCU football player K’aun Green is set to be the recipient of a historic settlement that marks a three-year journey for justice. Green is set to receive an $8 million settlement, pending approval by the city of San Jose. This comes after Green was involved in a 2022 police shooting due to mistaken identity.

In the incident, per a 2022 report by Georgia Public Broadcasting, Green was shot four times by a police officer at La Victoria Taqueria, a local Mexican restaurant in the area. He was approached by an intoxicated man on March 27, 2022 who challenged him to a fight. A second person appeared and pulled out a gun, but Green disarmed the man. Per the report and subsequent lawsuit, the patrons in the restaurant urged Green to return the gun. The officer shot at Green, who was on the steps of the restaurant with the gun, in the apparent belief that he was an active shooter.

Later footage and information released vindicated Green, who survived the incident but suffered injuries to his arm, knee, and stomach. He underwent surgery for his injuries, which were believed to be serious enough to end his athletic career. But, in the three years since the incident, he was able to rehabilitate himself and eventually landed a full-ride scholarship to the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

The lawsuit persisted for years, as the city of San Jose argued that the officer had qualified immunity. The settlement, the second largest in city history, was agreed upon to prevent a potentially larger sum if the incident went to trial.

Adanté Pointer of Lawyers For The People weighed in on the settlement on their website, saying, “Mr. K’aun Green is a hero! He saved his life and the life of everyone else in that restaurant. Sadly, the police poorly responded and overreacted to simply seeing a black man holding a gun which resulted in K’aun paying the price for the police officer’s rash decision with his blood.”

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