K’aun Green Receives Full Ride To University Of Arkansas Following 2022 Police Shooting
K’aun Green is finally reclaiming his life after surviving a near-fatal police shooting in 2022. On Tuesday, the 23-year-old football player announced he had been awarded a full scholarship to the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Green, who was shot four times by San Jose police officer Mark McNamara in a case of mistaken identity, is now on course to become the first member of his family to graduate from college, according to his recent interview with KTVU Fox 2.
“It just boosts my spirits a whole lot,” Green, who will play football and study kinesiology at the HBCU, told the outlet. “Just believing in myself and just fighting back from the brink of death.”
K’aun Green’s recent college acceptance offers a much-needed ray of hope after his traumatic incident three years ago. In 2022, then San Jose police officer McNamara shot Green four times outside La Victoria Taqueria. McNamara mistakenly believed Green was connected to a nearby homicide. In reality, surveillance footage later revealed that Green had just disarmed another man inside the restaurant during a chaotic altercation and was leaving the scene with the weapon to prevent further violence.
According to ABC 7 News, the confrontation began when one man attempted to punch Green, and another pulled out what authorities described as a “ghost gun.” Green managed to wrestle the firearm away and was attempting to exit the restaurant, still holding the weapon when he was shot by McNamara in the back, the abdomen, and in the arm.
K’aun Green’s attorneys say that after the shooting, he was rushed to the hospital, handcuffed to his bed, and denied contact with his family. The San Jose Police Department later confirmed that the earlier homicide had no connection to the incident at La Victoria.
Green has since filed a federal lawsuit against the City of San Jose and the police department for their role in the incident. Despite the evidence and the trauma Green suffered, the city has not issued an apology and continues to contest the lawsuit without offering a settlement.
“It’s a very exasperating thing to go through,” Green told KTVU Fox 2 on Tuesday. “But it just showed me that nothing is insurmountable.”
What happened to the officer who shot K’aun Green?
McNamara has since resigned from the department. The officer was reportedly let go in 2023 after a string of racist texts were discovered on his phone. But McNamara has yet to face repercussions for shooting Green. At the time of the incident, McNamara was reportedly under qualified immunity, a legal doctrine that shields police officers and other government officials from civil lawsuits and personal liability for actions taken while performing their job, unless their conduct violates “clearly established” law or constitutional rights, the Legal Defense Fund notes. Because of this, attorneys for the former police officer have argued that he should not be held liable for the incident.
K’aun Green said he’s frustrated by the lack of accountability, but his recent college acceptance has been a major silver lining. Staff at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff have come together to support the young student throughout his ongoing court battle.
“Everyone just embraced me,” Green said.
Still, the soon-to-be HBCU student admitted that there are times when he feels lonely and depressed due to trauma from the shooting.
“And right now I’m in therapy, so that kind of helps,” Green added. “And I’m working out three times a day, trying to get myself back together. It’s still hard. It’s still a hard process. I still have nightmares and, you know, it’s a never-ending battle.”
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