Lancaster mother killed by LASD deputy after calling 911 is laid to rest

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Monday, February 19, 2024
Lancaster mother killed by deputy after calling 911 laid to rest
The mother killed by a Los Angeles sheriff's deputy in Lancaster back in December after she called for help in a domestic dispute has been laid to rest.

LANCASTER, Calif. (KABC) -- The mother killed by a Los Angeles sheriff's deputy in Lancaster back in December after she called for help in a domestic dispute has been laid to rest.

Niani Finlayson's family gathered for her service in Anaheim on Sunday.

The 27-year-old was shot in front of her 9-year-old daughter on December 4 after deputies responded to a domestic violence call at an apartment in Lancaster.

The L.A. County Sheriff's Department claims she was threatening her ex-boyfriend with a knife. The department later released video of the shooting.

In a 911 audio clip released by the sheriff's department, Finlayson is heard telling the dispatcher that the man "won't get of my house" and "he will not leave me alone."

"I need the police here right now. No, cause he won't get his hands off of me," Finlayson says, as she apparently argues with a man in the background.

The L.A. County District Attorney's Office is conducting its own independent review of the shooting.

Finlayson's family says the shooting was unjustified and has begun the process of suing the department and county for $30 million.