Family of woman fatally shot by LASD deputy in front of daughter announces lawsuit
LANCASTER, Calif. (KABC) -- The family of a woman who was killed by a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy in Lancaster after she called for help in a domestic dispute is moving forward with a lawsuit against the department and the deputies involved in her death.
The mother of Naini Finlayson held a press conference Thursday alongside her family's attorney and members of the Black Lives Matter and Cancel the Contract groups to announce the update.
"It's a step towards getting full justice for my baby," said Finlayson's mother, Tracie Hall. "She did not deserve what she had to go through."
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The 27-year-old was shot in front of her 9-year-old daughter on Dec. 4, 2023, after deputies responded to a domestic violence call at an apartment. The sheriff's department claimed she was threatening her ex-boyfriend with a knife. The department later released body camera 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.
"They rushed to judgment," said attorney Brand Gage during Thursday's press conference. "They pulled out a gun and shot and killed her in front of her 9-year-old daughter."
The lawsuit seeks monetary damages and demands a jury trial. Representatives for the family also claim the deputy who shot Finlayson has a history of excessive force complaints and involvement in deputy-involved shootings.
"It shows this whole mentality in the sheriff's department of using excessive force and taking unnecessary actions towards Black men and Black women," said Gage.
The sheriff's department confirmed to Eyewitness News the deputy who shot Finlayson was fired in March.
"The Department takes all deputy-involved shootings seriously," read the statement. "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 and when there is evidence that actions violated these standards personnel are held accountable. 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 involved deputy was relieved of duty on March 26, 2024."
"We're appreciative he was fired, but we look next for him to be prosecuted, and we want all eyes on the Antelope Valley and the L.A. County Sheriff's Department," said Cancel the Contract co-founder Waunette Cullors.
