Latest reports reveal that Sydney Wilson, 33, a commercial real estate manager in the DC area, was murdered after she was visited by an officer for a welfare check at her apartment in Reston at 10 a.m. on September 16.
According to the report, Officer Peter Liu, who had 14 years of experience in crisis intervention, knocked on the door, and Wilson opened.
When the officer identified himself, she slammed it back shut. For the next three minutes, the policeman continued to knock, only for Wilson to open the door and charge at him with a knife. Wilson is accused of st@bbing the officer multiple times in his face until the cop fired his gun. Liu retreated down the hallway before firing off another three shots and calling for help.
Wilson was given CPR at the scene but was pronounced de@d from the gunshot wounds at a local hospital. A mental health professional asked the police to perform a welfare check on Wilson. Davis admitted that these sorts of checks are usually done in tandem with another mental health professional.
However, the usual co-responder was unavailable at the time as they were on another call. Davis believes the clinician not showing up on the scene prevented the incident from becoming deadlier. "Clinicians absolutely expose themselves to an element of danger any time they get out of a police car and go up to a door or a scene of a crash or an outdoor scenario with a police officer, and there's an element of risk associated with it."
He added that he doesn't feel that a mental health professional could've stopped the incident from turning out how it did. Wilson, a former Georgetown University basketball player, was remembered by her former school in an Instagram post.
"Georgetown women's basketball mourns the tragic loss of Sydney Wilson (C'13). Forever a Hoya."
Police Chief Kevin Davis said Liu did his best and prevented the situation from being nastier.
"It could have been much, much, much worse; the slash, gash and slash wound he received was at the top of his forehead," he said.