A Los Angeles deputy murdered a 27-year-old woman who called for help because of her allegedly abusive boyfriend, according to the Guardian.
A 2020 case showed it wasn’t a first for the deputy.
The woman named Niani Finlayson contacted police, wanting police to remove her ex-boyfriend from the apartment located in Lancaster, north of LA. Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department deputies arrived at the scene and immediately heard “screaming and sounds of a struggle.”
The Messenger reported that Finlayson answered the door with a large kitchen knife in her hand. Bradley Gage, her family’s attorney, stated Finlayson was injured. What led to the dispute between the woman and her ex is unclear.
Finlayson reportedly threatened to stab her ex-boyfriend because he pushed her 9-year-old daughter, Xaisha.
Deputies claimed she retreated inside the apartment and grabbed her ex “while holding the knife in an apparent attempt to stab him.” That’s when Ty Shelton reportedly shot the mother of two multiple times.
She was transported to a hospital for treatment, but efforts weren’t successful, and she was declared dead. According to the county medical examiner, she died from multiple gunshot wounds.
On Thursday, Dec. 21, the mother of two’s daughter, Xaisha, expressed her disbelief that her mother wasn’t with her or her sister.
“The police lied that my mom was threatening them,” Xaisha said, adding her 2-year-old sister continuously asked about where their mom was. “She was my best friend. She was always there for me. It’s unbelievable that she’s gone and she’s not coming back. I miss my mom.”
Xaisha’s grandparents called for the prosecution of Shelton.
“You have someone who is calling the police for help, and she gets killed by the police who she’s asking for assistance,” Attorney Gage said. “If you call police for hep, you think the officers are going to protect and serve you. You don’t expect them to hunt and kill you.”
LASD won’t release the body-cam footage until sometime next week. The inspector general’s office will review and evaluate every aspect of the shooting to see if Shelton followed protocol.
The woman’s family started a $30,000 GoFundMe campaign. Her funeral will be on Jan. 30, 2024.
Shelton was involved in another domestic violence dispute that resulted in a man’s death. He killed 61-year-old Michael Thomas while responding to a potential domestic violence call on June 11, 2020. While in a heated verbal argument with his girlfriend, the 61-year-old refused to open the door to police, afraid police would kill him.
The case file read that they were attempting to detain him when Shelton screamed that an unarmed Thomas was reaching for the other present officer’s gun.
As Shelton attempted to keep a hold of Thomas, Shelton murdered Thomas by firing one round in his chest.
Shelton faced no punishment because of “insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Shelton did not act lawfully in self-defense and defense of others.”
