Bodycam video shows L.A. County deputy fatally shoot armed woman 

Newly released bodycam footage depicts the moment a woman armed with a kitchen knife was shot and killed by a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy. 

The video, which was made public by the department on Friday, shows deputies responding to an apartment building in the 2100 block of East Avenue J-8 in Lancaster on Dec. 4 regarding a domestic violence call. 

Included with the footage is the audio of the initial call made by Niani Finlayson, 27, to police requesting their help for a man who “[would not] get out of her house.” 

Finlayson could be heard over the phone screaming and struggling with the man, later identified as her boyfriend. 

“This man, he won’t get out of my house now…and I already told him to get out of my house…” she told the dispatcher before another struggle ensued. “I need the police here right now [because] he won’t get his hands off me.” 

Three deputies responded to the ground-floor apartment and heard the sound of loud arguing through the locked front door. 

As the deputies tried to force entry into the apartment, Finlayson opened the door armed with a kitchen knife, telling them that she was “about to stab him.” 

Deputies proceeded inside, where a young female came up to them shouting, “He pushed me, he choked me, he punched me!” 

Finlayson then retreated into the living room where her boyfriend was sitting. She was seen grabbing her boyfriend with one hand while holding the knife in the other.  

It was then that the deputy involved in the shooting switched to his service weapon and fired four rounds.

The deputy involved in the shooting was later identified as Deputy Ty Shelton.   

Finlayson fell to the floor and dropped the knife. Deputies rendered first aid until paramedics arrived and transported her to a hospital, where she was pronounced deceased. 

The kitchen knife she was armed with was collected as evidence. 

Finlayson’s boyfriend “became resistive” after the shooting, LASD said. He was subsequently arrested for child abuse and assault on a peace officer before being released from custody pending further investigation. 

As the sheriff’s department conducts its investigation, the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office will begin an independent review of the deputy-involved shooting. 

According to the critical incident briefing, the investigation goes through a chain of review: 

• Upon concluding their investigation, LASD will present their findings to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office Justice System Integrity Division for review and a “determination of whether the force used was within the law.” 
• After the DA’s review, the sheriff’s department’s Internal Affairs Bureau will complete an administrative investigation of the incident 
• The Internal Affairs Bureau will then turn the case over to the LASD’s Executive Force Review Committee, which will “evaluate the performance of the deputies and determine if their tactics and use of deadly force were within policy…” 

Finlayson’s family has since filed a $30 million wrongful death lawsuit against the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department.

A statement from the department reads in part:

“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.”

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

A summary of the incident from LASD can be read here.