Police release bodycam video of cop fatally shooting 6'5" woman who slashed his face, kept advancing despite warnings to stop

Fairfax County, Virginia, police on Monday released bodycam video of an officer fatally shooting a 6'5" woman last month who slashed the officer's face and kept advancing on him despite his repeated warnings for her to stop.

Police said the officer just after 10 a.m. Sept. 16 responded to a residence in the 11800 block of Sunrise Valley Drive in Reston for a welfare check following a request from a mental health professional who said 33-year-old Sydney Wilson was in an agitated state. Reston is about a half hour northwest of Washington, D.C.

The officer retreated and tried to de-escalate the situation with repeated verbal commands for Wilson to 'back up!'

The officer, who was trained in crisis intervention, knocked on Wilson’s door, police said, adding that Wilson opened and immediately closed the door. The officer continued to try to speak with Wilson for two minutes and 45 seconds, explaining he wanted to check on her welfare, police said.

When Wilson opened the door again, she was holding a knife and immediately assaulted the officer outside the residence, police said.

Image source: Fairfax County (Va.) Police Department video screenshot

The officer retreated and tried to de-escalate the situation with repeated verbal commands for Wilson to "back up!" Police said the officer had backed into a dead-end hallway, but Wilson continued to advance toward him while holding the knife.

Image source: Fairfax County (Va.) Police Department video screenshot

Police said Wilson struck the officer in the head with the knife, and the officer fired his gun, striking Wilson three times in her upper body, police said.

Wilson was taken to a hospital and was pronounced dead, police said.

The officer in question — First Class Peter Liu, a 14-year department veteran — was placed on restricted duty amid a departmental investigation, police said.

Image source: Fairfax County (Va.) Police Department video screenshot

Image source: Fairfax County (Va.) Police Department

Soon after the deadly incident, police said Wilson had multiple encounters with officers this year, and Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis described Wilson as standing six feet, five inches tall and weighing around 330 pounds, WDVM-TV reported.

According to Wilson's obituary, in 2009 she accepted a full scholarship to Georgetown University where she played basketball, was a co-captain during her senior season, and was a member of the NAACP Georgetown University Chapter.

You can view the officer's bodycam video below as part of the police department's Monday news conference. Content warning: The bodycam video is intense and may be disturbing to some viewers:

- YouTubeyoutu.be

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!