He was subsequently arrested and taken to a hospital, where he remained handcuffed and was denied contact with his family.

Later, authorities discovered Green wasn’t the aggressor; they tracked down another man involved in the incident and charged him. However, the damage was done “physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially.”

“They treated me like a criminal even though I saved my friends’ life,” Green recalled. “It’s still surreal to me. It just hurts to know I can’t play football this year. I’m going to try my hardest to make a comeback.”

“Mr. Green is facing a long and uncertain road to recover the life he once lived, the sport he once enjoyed, and dream he was moving ever closer to making his reality,” the 20-year-old’s attorneys said. “The officer’s rash decision to shoot Mr. Green, who had done nothing wrong, has potentially jeopardized the young man’s promising future.”

While his attorneys say that Green was shot without sufficient warning, Police Chief Anthony Mata alleges that officers told the athlete to drop the weapon “several times” before shooting.

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