VIDEO: Virginia Woman Fatally Shot by Police After Charging Officer with Knife

 

A Virginia woman, Sydney Wilson, 33, was fatally shot by a police officer after she attacked him with a knife during a welfare check at her apartment in Reston. The incident, captured on the officer’s body camera, occurred at 10 a.m. on September 16, 2024.

Wilson, a commercial real estate manager in the Washington D.C. area, was visited by Officer Peter Liu, a 14-year veteran trained in crisis intervention, who was responding to a request from a mental health professional concerned about her well-being. Upon arriving, Officer Liu knocked on the door, and Wilson initially opened it, only to quickly shut it again when he identified himself as a police officer.

For the next three minutes, Liu continued knocking, trying to get a response. When Wilson eventually opened the door again, she charged at the officer with a knife, stabbing him multiple times in the face. In response, Officer Liu fired his weapon, retreating down the hallway while shooting three more times before calling for assistance.

Despite efforts to save her life, Wilson was pronounced dead from the gunshot wounds at a local hospital. Officer Liu sustained serious injuries from the knife attack, with deep cuts to his forehead.

Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis spoke on the incident, commending Liu for preventing what could have been a more dangerous situation. "It could have been much, much worse. The wounds Officer Liu suffered were significant," Davis said.

The welfare check had been requested by a mental health professional, who typically would have accompanied the officer. However, the clinician was unavailable at the time due to being on another call. Chief Davis noted that while having a clinician on the scene is important, he doesn’t believe it would have changed the outcome in this particular situation.

"Clinicians take a risk when they respond to potentially dangerous situations alongside police officers, but I don’t think it would have stopped what happened here," Davis stated.

Sydney Wilson, a former Georgetown University basketball player, was remembered fondly by her alma mater. Georgetown University’s women’s basketball team shared a tribute on Instagram: "Georgetown women's basketball mourns the tragic loss of Sydney Wilson (C'13). Forever a Hoya."

Officer Liu has been placed on administrative duties as the police department conducts an internal investigation into the shooting.

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