A 27-year-old Black woman was allegedly shot and killed by a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) deputy after calling 911 to report a domestic disturbance at her home.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) has now released body camera footage of the police-involved shooting that took place in December, ABC News reports.
A video of the Dec. 4 encounter shows Deputy Ty Shelton shooting Niani Finlayson four times about three seconds after entering her home.
Finlayson’s death has sparked outrage, with many criticizing deputies’ failure to de-escalate the conflict and their use of deadly force against a victim of abuse who requested their help.
“It’s so unfair that we have to live our lives without Niani Finlayson,” Tracie Hall, Finlayson’s mother, told ABC News. “That was my best friend. I’m going to miss her so much. I miss her already.”
Finlayson called 911 to report a domestic disturbance, informing the dispatcher that a man her family identified as her former boyfriend would not leave her alone.
In the 911 call audio released by LASD, Finlay can reportedly be heard yelling for someone to get their hands off her. She was also asking for assistance to get a man out of her home, according to ABC News.
Hall said that the estranged boyfriend choked Finlayson and physically assaulted her daughter when she tried to intervene.
Three deputies arrived at the scene, and body camera footage shows them attempting to kick down the door.
Deputies followed Finlayson into her home, where she was seen yelling at her alleged estranged boyfriend. Finlayson appeared to have a knife in one hand based on the body cam video, and Deputy Ty Shelton fired four shots at her within seconds, causing her to drop to the ground.
Deputies performed first aid until paramedics arrived. Finlayson was transported to the hospital but was later pronounced deceased.
Finlayson’s daughter witnessed the shooting. “We’re trying to, as a family, make her [Finlayson’s daughter] not feel guilty for helping her mother,” Hall said. “She was in no wrong. She did nothing wrong. And I want her to know that. I can’t express that enough to her.”
The family filed a claim in court on Dec. 21, seeking at least $30 million from LASD and Los Angeles County for the killing of Finlayson by a LASD deputy.