A family is suing Los Angeles County and the Sheriff’s Department after a 27-year-old Black woman was shot and killed by police.
According to People, the family of Niani Finlayson filed a $30 million claim last week, alleging wrongful death and civil rights violations.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a 911 call of a domestic disturbance at an apartment in Lancaster on December 4. Finlayson called authorities because a man allegedly refused to leave the apartment, according to police.
“When responding deputies arrived on scene, they witnessed a domestic disturbance between a male and female,” the sheriff’s department said in the statement.
“The female was armed with a large kitchen knife,” the statement continued. “The female made verbal threats indicating she was going to harm the male with the knife. When the female approached the male with the knife, a deputy-involved shooting occurred.”
“Only one deputy was involved in the shooting and a knife was recovered at the scene,” the statement added.
Ty Shelton was identified as the deputy who fatally shot Finlayson. Finlayson was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.
The family’s attorney, Brad Gage, shared details about the $30 million claim at a press conference last week.
“Niani had been given a knife to try to protect herself from this man that was accused of attacking her,” Gage said in a statement.
According to the claim obtained by People, the man strangled Finlayson and hurt her nine-year-old daughter before she called 911.
“After the shooting, the [man] told the Deputies there was no reason for them to shoot Niana. The response? Beat up the [man],” the claim further alleges. “While some may believe that the [man] ‘got what he deserved,’ Deputies are not allowed to needlessly kill women and they are not allowed to engage in vigilante justice. No one is above the law.”
According to the claim, Finlayson was “sitting on the ground, not threatening anyone when deputies opened fire from behind a glass door, shooting her in the back four times.”
“Niani did not die immediately. She called for help and cried out in pain. Her 9-year-old witnessed the entire murder and her mother’s suffering,” the claim states.
The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department released the following statement in the wake of the claim.
“The Department has not officially received this claim but takes all deputy-involved shootings seriously. In the effort of transparency, the Department will be releasing the body-worn camera footage of the incident by next week, which is earlier than the required timeframe.
With any deputy-involved shooting there is a robust review process, which includes the Office of Inspector General, where every aspect of the shooting is thoroughly examined and evaluated to see if Department policies and procedures were followed.
Additionally, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Justice System Integrity Division, conducts a legal analysis to determine whether any criminal charges will be filed and if the shooting was legally justified. The Department is deeply committed to protecting our diverse communities without bias and prejudice.”
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