Black ‘Hero’ Shot By San Jose Police After Tussling Gun Away From Attacker

K’aun Green, 20, was shot by San Jose, California, police after he tried to defend himself from a gunman. Police arrived on the scene and mistook him for the attacker.

Green was shot several times after cops saw him back out of a local taqueria holding a ghost gun, KTVU reports. However, the officers arriving at the scene were unaware that Green was actually the “hero” who defended himself and saved other patrons from the gunman.

The high school graduate and football star who had dreams of turning pro was at the La Victoria Taqueria eating with a group of friends when a man came in and started threatening the group, according to Green’s attorney Adante Pointer.

The man left the eatery but returned with two other people who started to threaten and verbally assault Green and his friends.

“Then one of those gentlemen pulled out a gun,” Pointer said.

“Video shows he was punched first, then the gun was drawn,” the attorney continued. “He defended himself then disarmed the guy who was threatening to shoot him and then the other people in the restaurant.”

By the time police arrived at the scene, Green had wrestled the gun away from his unknown assailants and backed out of the restaurant to de-escalate the situation.

“He put the clip back in the gun and never pointed it at anyone in the restaurant. And he was pleading with the guy telling him, ‘Look man I don’t want to do anything like this. I’m an athlete. We don’t want any problems,'” Pointer said.

Cops said they told Green to drop the weapon before opening fire, NBC News reports.

“The police never gave any orders until he got to the door. No one knew police were outside. He was a peacemaker,” Pointer said.

“He was backing out the door and at the time the police said drop the gun and not even two seconds later, he was shot. He was never given the time to recognize the police.”

“He was never given the time to drop the gun. And he was the hero.”

Now, Green is on the mend and has a long path to recovery.

“He was shot multiple times, a couple times in the abdomen, in the leg and once in the arm,” Pointer said.

Green’s family plans to file a civil lawsuit against the San Jose Police Department for what Pointer believes was mistreatment.