Posted on 12/31/2023 12:52:34 AM PST by Morgana
Newly-released bodycam footage shows the moment an LA Sheriff's Deputy shot a mother who had called 911 after her ex-boyfriend allegedly attacked her and her daughter.
Niani Finlayson, 27, called police and 'reported that her boyfriend would not leave her alone' and then screaming and sounds of a struggle could be heard', the LA Sheriff's Department (LASD) said.
Footage shows deputies swiftly approaching the apartment complex and soon saw Finlayson holding an eight-inch kitchen knife at the door.
She reportedly told the officers that she was going to stab her ex-boyfriend for allegedly hurting her nine-year-old daughter, Xaisha.
Xaisha was seen standing next to her and appeared to tell deputies that her mother's ex-boyfriend had hurt her.
While entering the apartment, Deputy Ty Shelton is seen asking the officer in front of him for her taser, which she quickly hands over.
The female officer and Shelton enter the apartment together and see Xaisha standing near the kitchen while Finlayson is standing next to her ex-boyfriend, with one hand on him and the other holding the knife.
At that moment, Shelton shoots four times while holding the taser in another hand, and Finlayson immediately falls to the floor.
Once her mother is shot, Xaisha runs to the kitchen while the ex-boyfriend yells 'No, no, why did you shoot?'.
Shelton is heard responding: 'Drop it'. It is unknown what he was referencing.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
There are very few situations so dire they can’t be made worse by the addition of a cop.
but also
Holding a large knife when cops arrive upon a fraught situation, or a gun, is very very bad idea.
“Bodycam video shows LA sheriff’s deputy fatally shooting woman, 27, FOUR times in front of child”
If she were a cat, he’d have to shoot her 9 times to kill her.
We see this over and over again. Cops choosing to escalate.
Was it necessary to kill the woman with the knife to save the man standing next to her? Maybe. But one thing is for sure. Out of the many options available (talking to the woman, using a taser, etc.) the cop chose the most lethal one.
Unquestionably. But did the officer order her to "drop the knife"? I didn't see any mention of that happening -- It seems that Shelton just fired away immediately.
If that's what happened, IMO that was a bad shoot. "Drop the knife!" would have changed things, who knows, she might have dropped it.
Doesn't everyone know that a 911 call means the police will have to put down their donut and work?
The police kill people for that, going Postal on you.
If somebody was holding a knife to my wife I would just shoot. Not sure why it would be different for a cop protecting somebody.
And now with her dead, perhaps the only adult witness to his abuse is gone too. Once he isn’t beating on the child it becomes a court case - not a self defense issue.
I’m sure she wasn’t in her right mind. It’s understandable.
Calling the police puts your life in danger. This happens way too often.
Would you prefer he threw her off a building?
He did say “Drop it”.
After he shot her.
A taser is not an option when a deadly weapon is in play… unless there js another officer on scene with lethal backup…
These cops are in a war. Can you imagine the mental stress of being a big city cop? I cant. Seems even worse than an infantryman...at least he knows to kill...period. A cop has the added stress of split second decision making. Thoughts of fellow officers wasted and the families left behind. Getting up day after day with the constant mental cycling on and off between family man and city-soldier. In and out of city block sized fields of drugged up madness and walking dead zombies. Never knowing whos the murderer and whos the innocent. Fkd up politicians making his job harder all the time. All for what....maybe $70K/year? No way I could deal with it and stay sane...my idea of sane.
“Would you prefer he threw her off a building?”
No reason to kill her 4 times. Once is enough for humans.
> A taser is not an option when a deadly weapon is in play… <
I must respectfully disagree. The totality of the situation must be considered. Has the person with the deadly weapon used the weapon? What is his/her mental state? How is he/she behaving?
I get that these are not easy questions! And I get that cops must make difficult decisions while under pressure. But I’m just tired of police officers escalating to the max on matters large and small. It pushes citizens like me away from supporting the blue.
Of course, your mileage may vary.
My opinion. This situation was handled poorly by the police involved. The shooting was not called for from what I saw.
The situation could have been de-escalated by ordering the woman to drop the knife. Very sad.
1) Cops have to deal with the scum of the earth everyday.
2) Cops consider us regular people to be the scum of the earth.
The way I read it, the cop was confused and intended to use the taser but accidentally shot the gun instead.
Doubtful. How do you shoot a taser four times? He knew he had the gun in his hand not the taser.
But would she have dropped it or just stabbed her boy friend.
A question you don’t know or do I.
Dump ass statement.
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