Horror footage of moment knife-wielding woman shot dead by police, Oct 24
Disturbing bodycam video has captured the moment a trained mental-health specialist was fatally shot by a veteran cop, just seconds after she charged at him with a knife and repeatedly slashed him.
Sydney Wilson, 33, was fatally shot by Fairfax County officer Peter Liu in the hall of her apartment building in Reston, just outside Washington DC, on September 16 after police were called to carry out a welfare check on her, the New York Post reported.
The graphic footage, released by police on Monday, showed an “agitated” Wilson opening and then abruptly slamming her door in the officer’s face after he knocked just after 10am.
After nearly three minutes of trying to convince her to re-open the door, Wilson suddenly emerged in a bathrobe, calmly asked “How are you?”, and then immediately brandished the kitchen knife, the video shows.
“Oh Jesus Christ!” the officer gasps, backing away as the six-foot-tall attacker followed.
Wilson was then caught on camera swiping at the officer and knifing him in the face, police said.
The officer, a 14-year-old department veteran trained in crisis intervention, quickly pulled his firearm and backed up down a dead-end hallway, according to the bodycam clip.
Wilson, who worked as a leasing operations manager for a commercial real estate firm in DC, was filmed coming towards the officer with the blade held above her head as the officer repeatedly shouted for her to “back up”.
Just seconds later, the knife-wielding woman repeatedly stabbed the officer in the face — prompting him to open fire, police said.
The attacker was shot three times before she collapsed to the floor, the shocking video shows.
Police Chief Kevin Davis said the officer did everything he could to de-escalate the situation but was trapped in the dead-end hallway when he opened fire.
“It could have been much, much, much worse,” Davis said as he released the clip.
“The slash, gash and slash wound he received was at the top of his forehead.”
Wilson was pronounced dead after being rushed to a nearby hospital, police said. The officer, meanwhile, was treated in the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
“Any loss of life is something that we all mourn,” Davis said.
“The person whose life was lost in this particular case is no different; she has a family and friends and loved ones who love her very much, who care about her and undoubtedly are grieving and upset and we acknowledge that and we pray and our thoughts are with this particular family.”
The video of the shooting emerged just months after Wilson revealed in a post on LinkedIn that she had become certified in “adult mental health first aid.”
“As a people manager, mentor, teammate, friend, big cousin, daughter … the list goes on, it’s important to be able to help / identify challenges in myself and others. I think this is the greatest act of love,” she wrote in the post.
“With mental health awareness month starting May 1 (today), the timing feels right,” she added.
Wilson, who attended Georgetown University on a basketball scholarship, became a motivational speaker to young female players after graduating, according to her online obituary.
“Sydney’s legacy of friendship, empathy and love will live on in the hearts of everyone who ever met her,” the obituary read.
Meanwhile, the officer who fired the fatal shots remains on administrative duties amid an ongoing investigation into the fatal shooting.
