From that description, it sounds like the two were joking, a bear hug was given, which caused the person to black out and he fell face first into a concrete step.
If a person is given a bear hug, they can pass out. We did this as kids to each other. That he coughed and made a strange sound bears that out a bit.
Am I missing context here? It sounds like they were, by all accounts, not enemies.
Supposedly there’s way more to the story.
https://1819news.com/news/item/father-of-injured-deshler-high-school-student-august-borden-shocked-and-appalled-at-madison-county-das-decision-not-to-press-charges-this-case-is-far-from-over