A Virginia woman was shot dead by a police officer after charging at him with a knife, as captured in shocking body camera footage.
Sydney Wilson, 33, a commercial real estate manager from the DC area, was approached by Officer Peter Liu for a welfare check at her Reston apartment on the morning of September 16.
Liu, with 14 years of experience in crisis intervention, knocked on her door, and she answered. However, when the officer identified himself, Wilson abruptly slammed the door shut.
For the next three minutes, Liu repeatedly knocked, until Wilson opened the door and charged at him wielding a knife. She allegedly stabbed Liu multiple times in the face before he fired his gun.
The officer retreated down the hallway, firing three more shots while calling for assistance.
Wilson was administered CPR at the scene but was later pronounced dead from the gunshot wounds at a nearby hospital.
Police Chief Kevin Davis acknowledged that Liu acted to prevent a more dangerous outcome. “It could have been much, much worse; the wound he received was at the top of his forehead,” Davis stated.
The welfare check had been requested by a mental health professional, but the co-responding clinician was unavailable due to another call, which Davis believes may have contributed to the escalation.
Davis emphasized that mental health professionals face risks in such situations but stated that he didn’t think their presence would have prevented the tragic outcome.
Wilson, a former Georgetown University basketball player, was remembered by the school with a heartfelt tribute on Instagram: “Georgetown women’s basketball mourns the tragic loss of Sydney Wilson (C’13). Forever a Hoya.”
Officer Liu is currently on administrative leave while an internal investigation into the incident is ongoing.
