A former college football player who a San Jose police officer shot during a chaotic incident near campus is set to receive an $8 million settlement from the city—one of the largest police-related payouts in San Jose history.
According to KTVU, the proposed settlement involves K’aun Green, now 24, who was wounded in March 2022 outside La Victoria Taqueria, a popular late-night spot near San Jose State University.
At the time, Green was mistakenly believed by police to be connected to a nearby homicide. Video evidence later showed that assumption was wrong.
According to court records and city documents, Green had actually intervened in a fight inside the restaurant, wrestled a gun away from another person, and was leaving the scene with the weapon when he was shot multiple times by then–San Jose Police Officer Mark McNamara.
Green was struck in the stomach, arm, and knee, though none of the bullets caused permanent damage to bones or vital muscles.
“The number is reflective of the harm K’aun suffered, but also the egregiousness of this particular police officer,” Green’s civil rights attorney, Adante Pointer, said of the settlement. “This is a young man that deserves every penny that San Jose is finally coughing up.”
The city attorney has recommended that the San Jose City Council approve the $8 million payout on January 13, 2026, to avoid a potentially larger judgment if the case proceeded to trial. A settlement conference was held in November, and earlier this month, a federal judge formally dismissed Green’s excessive-force lawsuit as part of the agreement.
If approved, the payout would rank as the second-largest police settlement in the city’s history, behind an $11.3 million award paid to Hung Lam, who was paralyzed after being shot by police in 2014.
The case took another turn in 2023 when McNamara resigned after internal investigators uncovered racist text messages on his phone, some of which referenced Green.
Following those revelations, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office dismissed several cases connected to McNamara’s prior arrests.
“Sometimes people ask, ‘What did someone do to get shot by police?’” Pointer said. “The truth is, sometimes you’re doing nothing more than being a good guy.”
Despite the settlement, the city has never formally apologized to Green. For his part, Green has continued moving forward. He earned a full scholarship to the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, an HBCU.