Fairfax police release bodycam of woman shot after attacking officer with knife during welfare check

 A newly released bodycam video shows the intense moment when Fairfax County officer Peter Liu shot and killed 33-year-old Sydney Wilson after she allegedly attacked him with a knife during a welfare check. 

The incident, which took place on Sept. 16, occurred when Officer Liu, a 14-year veteran trained in crisis intervention, was responding to a welfare check requested by a mental health professional. 

The disturbing video shows Officer Liu knocking on Wilson's door multiple times before she suddenly opened the door and attacked him with a knife, slashing him in the face. 

Despite his repeated commands, "Back up," which he shouted at least eight times, Wilson continued to lunge at him. Trapped in a hallway with no escape, Liu fired his weapon, striking Wilson three times. She later died at the hospital. 

“He did the things that we trained him and expect him to do when you’re threatened like that," Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said during a press conference, defending the officer’s actions. 

Liu was hospitalized with slashing wounds and has since been placed on restrictive duty as the investigation continues.

Chief Davis also explained that the department typically deploys co-responders, where a mental health clinician accompanies an officer, but a co-responder was unavailable during the incident. 

Davis suggested that even if one had been present, the situation would still have escalated into a dangerous confrontation.