*Georgetown University’s women’s basketball team is facing online backlash for honoring a former player who was fatally shot after attacking a Virginia police officer with a knife.
Police released the body camera footage showing Sydney Wilson slashing a Fairfax County Police officer moments before he fatally shot her. Georgetown’s post included a photo of Wilson in her team uniform.
“Georgetown women’s basketball mourns the tragic loss of Sydney Wilson (C’13). Forever a Hoya. #HoyaSaxa,” the Sept. 20 post on X read, per CBS Austin.
Officer Peter Liu, a crisis intervention-trained officer, responded to a request from a mental health professional to check on Wilson, 33, who was reportedly having a breakdown of sorts at her Reston, Virginia, apartment. After Liu knocked, Wilson briefly opened the door but quickly slammed it shut.
When she reopened it, she was holding a knife and lunged at the officer, slashing his face. Despite his commands to drop the weapon, Wilson continued her attack, prompting Liu to fire multiple shots.
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“Tragic loss”…
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 “tragic” is wrong. https://t.co/eBzNsahBaM pic.twitter.com/AzMQaDG2gV
— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) October 15, 2024
According to a news release, responding officers treated Wilson at the scene until EMS personnel arrived. She was transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
“He did the things we train him and expect him to do,” Chief Kevin Davis said of Officer Liu during a news conference.
On Facebook, one person said Wilson should have been subdued by a stun gun. “Sydney Wilson should have been tazed, instead, but of course, she was black, so they took her out,” according to the post.
Georgetown’s tribute to Wilson was posted before the release of the bodycam footage, leading users on X to urge the school to take it down.
FATAL SHOOTING ? Video from a body-worn police camera released Monday shows the moments a knife-wielding Sydney Wilson slashes the Fairfax County Police Department officer before he fatally shoots her. https://t.co/IZTfeDGgkH pic.twitter.com/Gi5hXtVgoC
— News 4 San Antonio (@News4SA) October 15, 2024
“Pathetic trying to make her the victim when she attacked him with a knife first,” one person wrote, per CBS Austin. “Tragic loss? She tried to murder a cop and almost did,” another added.
“Any loss of life is something that we all mourn,” Davis said. “The person whose life was lost in this particular case is no different; she has a family and friends and loved ones who love her very much, who care about her and undoubtedly are grieving and upset and we acknowledge that and we pray and our thoughts are with this particular family.”
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