Newly released body camera footage shows the moments leading up to when a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy shot and killed a mother during a domestic disturbance call in Lancaster earlier this month.
LASD sheriff’s deputies responded to a domestic disturbance call at a Lancaster apartment the night of Dec. 4 after 27-year-old Niani Finlayson reported her ex-boyfriend was allegedly strangling her. She also said the man hurt her 9-year-old daughter.
Video from body cameras worn by responding LASD sheriff’s deputies showed a unit arriving at the apartment, with yelling heard coming from behind the closed front door. After not knocking and not receiving a response, a deputy kicked the door several times, prompting Finlayson to open it.
After opening the door, Finlayson is heard on camera telling deputies, “Yeah, I’m going to stab him,” as deputies also yelled and drew their weapons before entering the home.
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LASD said the woman answered the door while holding a kitchen knife and a child is heard telling deputies, “He punched me,” in reference to Finlayson’s ex-boyfriend. Seconds later, deputies shot Finlayson, who was standing near her ex-boyfriend.
She was taken to an area hospital, where she died of her wounds.
On Dec. 21, Finlayson’s family held a press conference alongside their attorney, Brad Gage. They said they were outraged that the mother, who called 911 for help in a domestic violence situation, was killed.
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“Just breaks me to my bone,” said Lamont Finlayson, Niani’s father. “I can’t eat, I can’t sleep, I can’t walk, I can’t talk.”
“For such a loving, caring, wonderful mother and daughter to just be gone in a moment’s notice,” said Tracie Hall, Niani’s mother. “I don’t get to say goodbye. I know she knows I love her.”
In a press release that was published before the family’s news conference, they said the ex-boyfriend told deputies it was unnecessary to shoot Niani. As a result, deputies allegedly beat him. The family and LASD identified the deputy involved in the shooting as Ty Shelton.
Shelton shot and killed a man during another domestic disturbance call in 2020, according to a news release by LASD. During this incident, the deceased reached for a deputy’s firearm after refusing to comply with orders, prompting Shelton to open fire.
LASD Sheriff Robert Luna said the department released the video on Friday -- before they were legally required to in an effort to show their commitment to transparency.
As per protocol, LASD homicide investigators responded to the scene. Several agencies will be reviewing the shooting, including the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), Internal Affairs Bureau (IAB), and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Justice System Integrity Division (JSID).
In the meantime, Shelton has been removed from the field while the investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information on the case is urged to call LASD’s homicide unit at 323-890-5500. Anonymous tips can be made by contacting Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-8477.
