On September 16, 2024, Sydney Wilson, a 33-year-old Virginia woman, was slain during a welfare check in Reston with the video of the shooting now viral
The body camera footage of the shooting involving an officer was made public by the Fairfax County Police Department one month after the incident. Before being shot and dying, Sydney Wilson is seen in the video hurling a knife during a nervous breakdown at the Fairfax County police officer who has been identified as 14 year veteran Peter Liu.
Who is ex-basketball player Sydney Wilson of Virginia as video of her being shot dead by police officer Peter Liu goes viral
Graphic.
Breaking: Fairfax County, Va. Police have released the body camera footage of the Asian-American officer who shot dead a 6โ5โ black assailant who surprise attacked him with a knife on Sept. 16. The shooting renewed calls for action by BLM activists. pic.twitter.com/zzOq1u2ZJA
โ Andy Ngo ๐ณ๏ธโ๐ (@MrAndyNgo) October 14, 2024
Sydney Wilson, 33, who stood 6’5″ (1.96 m), was a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and was an ex-Univeristy of Georgia basketball player.
Numerous stories state that when Sydney Wilson was shot, the unidentified police officer was responding on a mental health professional’s request for a welfare check.
Wilson was shot at the scene after she assaulted the officer and cut him with a knife. Before drawing his gun, the officer gave many verbal orders to defuse the situation.
Who was Sydney Wilson?
Journalist Andy NGO posted the body camera footage of the event, claiming Sydney Wilson was a former NAACP activist.
โTragic lossโโฆ
Sydney Wilson attacked a police officer with a knife, leaving him bloodied.
The officer showed incredible restraint, until he had to act in self defense.
PS: No one wants to see people die in police confrontations, but claiming this is โtragicโ is wrong. https://t.co/eBzNsahBaM pic.twitter.com/AzMQaDG2gV
โ Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) October 15, 2024
But according to a Facebook profile that appeared to belong to Wilson, she is a 2009 Georgetown University graduate working as a commercial real estate agent. At the time of the occurrence, the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native was residing in Reston, Virginia.
In April 2024, Wilson obtained certification in Adult Mental Health First Aid and worked as a mental health advocate. Wilson’s former school, Georgetown University, disclosed that she played for the women’s basketball team in a tribute post on X.
Several accounts state that at approximately 10:17 a.m. on September 16, 2024, Sydney Wilson’s apartment door was knocked on by an unidentified police officer who was responding to a mental health professional’s request for a welfare check. The footage shows the officer knocking, then Wilson answers the door and closes it after a brief conversation.
Wilson, with a knife, opens the door and attacks the officer through it after the two minutes that the officer speaks through the closed door. Wilson allegedly cut the officer’s head, according to several accounts.
The shocked cop backed away from the door and reached for his revolver. Wilson can be heard repeatedly being verbally warned to back away by the obviously upset cop as she approaches him. The officer shoots Wilson several times before running out of the area and into the corridor after being forced into a corner and unable to escape.
The Fairfax Police Department released photos of the injuries Officer Liu sustained on his face and torso: “It could have been much, much worse; the deep and sharp wound he received was on the upper part of his forehead.”