“Justice for Niani Finlayson: The Tragic Shooting of a Black Woman by a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy”

Accident – death – Obituary News :

It has been more than a month since the tragic incident in which Niani Finlayson was fatally shot by a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy in Lancaster, California. As the grieving mother prepares to lay her youngest child to rest, community activists are demanding justice and transparency from the law enforcement agency that is supposed to protect and serve them.

On December 4, Finlayson made a frantic 911 call regarding a domestic violence incident. She pleaded for a man to leave her ground-floor apartment after he had allegedly pushed her daughter. The exact nature of their relationship remains unclear.

A week after the sheriff’s department released partial body camera videos and audio of Finlayson’s cries to 911, protests began. The final moments of Finlayson’s life have raised numerous questions about the systemic culture of violence against Black people perpetuated by law enforcement in the county. It is worth noting that Finlayson is the second Black person killed by Deputy Ty Shelton in the span of three years.

Waunette Cullors, co-founder of Cancel the Contract, a community-led advocacy organization against police violence, comments, “We’ve heard so many stories about Black women and the LA County sheriffs. It’s almost like some sort of initiation they do to Black women. They don’t seem to care. And it’s all captured on film.” Cancel the Contract is also providing support and resources to Finlayson’s family.

The Circumstances Surrounding Niani Finlayson’s death

Upon arriving at Finlayson’s home, Los Angeles County deputies were met with the sounds of an ongoing domestic violence incident. Within seconds, four shots were fired.

Finlayson, who had just celebrated her 27th birthday two weeks prior, was pronounced dead at a local hospital. The county’s medical examiner determined that her death was a homicide resulting from multiple gunshot wounds. She leaves behind a 3-year-old daughter.

The body camera videos released by the sheriff’s department provide the vantage point of Deputy Shelton and an unidentified female deputy. Bradley C. Gage, Finlayson’s family attorney, states that the department only released a small portion of her 16-minute 911 call and an edited compilation of the deputies’ body camera footage.

Gage criticizes the department, stating, “It’s a self-serving presentation by the department. They do this in law enforcement to cover up their wrongdoing. It’s the new code of silence. It’s a new way of deceiving us.” Cancel the Contract and Finlayson’s family are demanding the release of the full recordings, as well as Shelton’s termination and decertification to prevent him from being rehired by another department in the state.

The released footage begins without the officers announcing their presence, as Finlayson’s voice grew increasingly distressed. The sheriff’s department acknowledged that the deputies did not announce themselves before attempting to enter Finlayson’s home.

The female deputy tried to kick the door open, but was unsuccessful. Finlayson, armed with a knife, opened the door and verbally threatened to stab the man she had called 911 on for assaulting her daughter. As Shelton followed the female deputy into Finlayson’s apartment, he requested her stun gun, a tool used for de-escalation, and she handed it to him.

Cancel the Contract’s Cullors questions the officers’ actions, saying, “You knew why you were there. When it’s a domestic violence call, why didn’t you separate them? You took out a Taser, so why didn’t you use it? Why didn’t you say, ‘Hey, put the knife down. We’re here now. Let’s de-escalate’?”

As Finlayson approached the man with the knife, Shelton switched from holding a stun gun to his service weapon. Gage argues, “She had that knife in her hand for at least 16 minutes during that 911 call. So, if she really intended to use it on that man, don’t you think she would have done so during those 16 minutes?”

Without exchanging any words, Shelton opened fire. As Finlayson fell to the ground, her alleged aggressor shouted, “Why did you shoot?”

Finlayson’s family has filed paperwork indicating their intention to sue the sheriff’s department and the county for $30 million. The funds would cover mental health support, funeral and burial expenses, and an independent investigation.

Deputy Ty Shelton’s History

As multiple law enforcement agencies investigate Finlayson’s case, the sheriff’s department has announced that they will thoroughly examine every aspect of the shooting, including the response, tactics, and background of Deputy Shelton.

Of particular concern is Shelton’s previous fatal shooting in June 2020. At the time, Shelton had been on the job for two years when he killed Michael Thomas while responding to a domestic disturbance call in Lancaster. The sheriff’s department stated that Shelton opened fire when Thomas allegedly grabbed a deputy’s pistol. The incident was not captured on body cameras.

The prosecutor’s Justice System Integrity Division launched an investigation, which concluded in May 2022. The investigation determined that Shelton was wrong to choose shooting as a response instead of utilizing other tactics. However, it also found “insufficient evidence” to prove that Shelton acted unlawfully.

Shelton was not prosecuted for the incident. Upon his return to work, he was promoted to a field training officer. Transparent California records indicate that he earned nearly $200,000 in 2022.

Over the past decade, there have been 143 fatalities involving a member of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, yet only five cases have resulted in filed charges, according to the Mapping Police Violence database, which tracks fatal police cases since 2013.

Thomas’ family filed a federal lawsuit in which Shelton is named as a defendant. The trial is scheduled for August, according to online court records. Capital B reached out to Shelton’s civil lawsuit attorneys for comment but has not received a response.

The president of the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, Richard Pippin, stated in an email to Capital B that Shelton found himself in a dangerous situation that deputies in the union “frequently face.” Pippin described Finlayson’s case as a “tragic outcome” resulting from a violent and highly volatile situation.

Following Finlayson’s death, Shelton was “removed from the field pending the outcome of the department’s critical incident review,” according to a statement from the sheriff’s department.

Gage concludes, “It’s clear that what he did was wrong. The female deputy was there before the third female deputy arrived, and only he shot. In my opinion, Ty Shelton now has blood on his hands multiple times… and he should be prosecuted.”

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