Accident – death – Obituary News :

The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Releases Body-Camera Footage of Officer Fatally Shooting Niani Finlayson

The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD) has released body-camera footage of an officer fatally shooting Niani Finlayson, a 27-year-old woman who had called 911 for help during a domestic violence incident. The incident, which occurred on 4 December in Lancaster, north LA county, has sparked national outrage and raised questions about the use of fatal force against a woman seeking assistance and who was a victim of abuse.

The body-camera footage, captured by deputy Ty Shelton, shows that Finlayson was shot four times within approximately three seconds of Shelton entering her home. The audio from the 911 call, released by LASD, includes Finlayson shouting for help and stating that someone was refusing to leave her house. The call also captured her screams and pleas for the police to arrive. It was later revealed that the person she was referring to was her former boyfriend.

When the deputies arrived at the scene, they could hear a woman screaming from inside the apartment. Finlayson’s 9-year-old daughter was standing beside her when she opened the door, and she appeared to indicate that the man had hurt her. It is worth noting that LASD distorted the daughter’s voice, making it difficult to clearly understand her comments.

Finlayson was seen holding a kitchen knife and claimed that her ex-boyfriend had attacked them, stating that she was about to stab him in self-defense. A female deputy entered the home first, and Finlayson and her ex-boyfriend moved to the opposite end of the room. Shelton followed shortly after and fired four shots at Finlayson, seemingly without attempting to de-escalate the situation.

Shelton fired at Finlayson while her daughter stood nearby. After the shots were fired, the daughter ran into the kitchen, and Finlayson collapsed on the ground. The ex-boyfriend expressed shock and questioned why Shelton had shot Finlayson. LASD did not release footage of the aftermath.

According to LASD, Finlayson was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead. Her ex-boyfriend was arrested for child abuse and assault on a police officer but was later released pending further investigation. The family of Finlayson claims that he had caused injuries to her and her daughter.

This is not the first fatal shooting involving Shelton. On 11 June 2020, he killed Michael Thomas, a 61-year-old man, while responding to a call for potential domestic violence. Thomas’s girlfriend later stated that they had been having a verbal argument, and Thomas had tried to prevent the officers from entering his home. Thomas was unarmed, and Shelton shot him in the chest. Shelton was not prosecuted for this incident.

Following the shooting of Finlayson, her relatives filed a claim against LASD and LA county. Finlayson’s 9-year-old daughter, Xaisha, who witnessed the shooting, expressed her grief and disbelief at her mother’s passing. She also stated that the police lied about her mother threatening them.

Tracie Hall, Finlayson’s mother, called for Shelton to be fired and prosecuted, emphasizing that he should not be allowed to continue working freely. Finlayson’s killing is the latest in a series of incidents involving LA sheriffs using excessive force against Black women in the Lancaster region.

LASD has removed Shelton from the field pending an investigation, and the shooting will be reviewed by prosecutors, the medical examiner, and the inspector general’s office. LASD stated that every deputy-involved shooting is traumatic and will be thoroughly assessed to improve public safety.

Advocates organized a Standing 4 Black Girls protest outside an LASD station, demanding justice for Finlayson. The incident has ignited a broader conversation about the use of force by law enforcement and the need for accountability.

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