A black woman in Los Angeles who called the emergency hotline, 911, to report domestic abuse was fatally shot by police, according to startling US news reports.
The 27-year-old lady said that her ex-boyfriend was attacking her when she called the Los Angeles sheriff’s office. According to records, the deputy killed a third victim in similar circumstances three years prior, The Guardian said.
According to a statement from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD), Niani Finlayson called authorities on December 4 and stated that “her boyfriend would not leave her alone and then screaming and sounds of a struggle could be heard.” Screaming could be heard when the police arrived, according to LASD.
Finlayson’s ex-boyfriend, whom she wished to leave the area, hurt her while she was inside her home with her 9-year-old daughter, according to her family attorney. It’s unclear what specifically led to the situation, and LASD has declined to make the body-camera video public.
Deputy Ty Shelton opened fire because, according to a statement from LASD, Finlayson was threatening her partner with a knife. The family refuted the police narrative, stating that Finlayson was not a threat to the officers and was obviously a victim of domestic abuse in need of assistance. She died from “multiple gunshot wounds,” according to the coroner.
The horrifying incident is being witnessed by the victim’s daughter, Xaisha, who is a mother of two.
Xaisha demanded that Shelton be held accountable during a press conference on Thursday, saying, “The police lied that my mom was threatening them.”
“She was my best friend” She was my rock at all times. The fact that she has left and won’t be returning is astonishing. My mother is missing. The child added that she doesn’t know how to answer her sister, who is two years old, when she asks where their mother is.
The family’s lawyer, Bradley Gage, said, “You have someone who calls the police for help, and she gets killed by the police who she’s asking for assistance.” When you call the police for assistance, you expect them to serve and protect you. You don’t anticipate being pursued and killed by them.
In a related case from 2020, Shelton was already charged with killing Michael Thomas, 61. Shelton had shot Thomas in the chest and killed him in response to a report of domestic abuse. Sadly, no video of the murder was taken.
Additionally, LASD declined to address Shelton’s prior murder.
