LASD alleged in a statement that Finlayson had a knife and was threatening her boyfriend, at which point deputy Ty Shelton opened fire.
The family disputed the police account, saying Finlayson was clearly a victim of domestic violence who needed help and posed no threat to the officers.
“The police lied that my mom was threatening them,” Xaisha said at a press conference on Thursday alongside her grandparents, calling for Shelton to be prosecuted.
“You have someone who is calling the police for help, and she gets killed by the police who she’s asking for assistance,” said Bradley Gage, the family’s attorney.
Shelton had been responding to a potential domestic violence call and when the deputies arrived, they demanded he open the door, officials said.
Local advocates in the Antelope Valley region in northern LA county have called for Shelton to be fired and charged.
“Sheriffs are running rampant in Antelope Valley and are allowed to harm Black women especially and nothing is happening,” said Cullors. »
