A Washington, DC, police officer shot and killed a woman during a welfare check after she charged at him with a knife, slashing him multiple times on the forehead, as revealed by body cam footage. The incident occurred on September 16 at 10 a.m., when Officer Peter Liu, a crisis intervention officer with 14 years of experience, responded to check on Sydney Wilson, 33, a commercial real estate manager.
When Officer Liu knocked on Wilson’s door, she briefly opened it before shutting it again after he introduced himself. Liu continued knocking for the next three minutes before Wilson, who stood 6’6″, opened the door again and rushed at him with a knife. “Oh Jesus Christ,” Liu exclaimed, retreating down the hallway as Wilson pursued him with the weapon still in hand, told NBC Washington.
The body cam footage shows Liu repeatedly commanding Wilson to “back up” while pointing his firearm at her. Wilson, however, continued advancing and slashed Liu multiple times in the face. Liu fired two shots after Wilson lunged at him again. When she kept moving toward him, he discharged three more rounds, causing her to collapse. The footage captured blood streaming from Liu’s forehead as he called for backup, reporting the shooting.
Wilson was given CPR at the scene, but she was pronounced dead from her injuries after being transported to a nearby hospital. Officer Liu suffered significant injuries from the attack but managed to prevent the situation from escalating further. Police Chief Kevin Davis later praised Liu’s response, stating, “It could have been much, much, much worse; the slash, gash, and slash wound he received was at the top of his forehead.”
The welfare check on Wilson had been requested by a mental health specialist. Chief Davis acknowledged that such checks are typically carried out alongside a mental health co-responder, but on this occasion, the co-responder was unavailable due to another call.
Davis speculated that the absence of the mental health specialist may have helped prevent the situation from escalating even further, saying, “Clinicians absolutely expose themselves to an element of danger any time they get out of a police car…and there’s an element of risk associated with it.” He also noted that it remains unclear if the presence of a mental health professional could have altered the course of events.
Sydney Wilson, a former Georgetown University basketball player, was mourned by her alma mater in a heartfelt tribute on social media. “Georgetown women’s basketball mourns the tragic loss of Sydney Wilson (C’13). Forever a Hoya,” the post read. As the investigation into the shooting continues, Officer Liu has been placed on administrative leave, standard procedure following an officer-involved shooting.
