A Virginia officer is on administrative leave after fatally shooting a Black woman who was having a mental crisis. According to police, the officer arrived at 33-year-old Sydney Wilson’s apartment without a mental health professional co-responder.

Graphic body camera video, which was released by police, shows Wilson charging the officer wielding a knife moments before he shot and killed her.

On Sept. 16, the unnamed officer knocked on Sydney Wilson’s door to perform a welfare check after receiving a request from a mental health professional to check on her. As the officer identified himself, Wilson shut the door in his face. The officer knocked again and a few minutes later, Wilson opened the door wielding a knife.

The video shows Wilson attacking the officer, slashing him in the face a few times before he pulled his gun and began retreating down the hallway. When Wilson started to follow the officer, he fired his weapon three times, shooting Sydney Wilson. A plainclothes officer arrived and tried to administer Wilson CPR, but she died shortly after, according to NBC Washington.

Chief Kevin Davis stated the officer did everything he could to de-escalate the situation but had no choice but to fire his weapon.

“It could have been much, much, much worse,” he said. “The slash, gash and slash wound he received was at the top of his forehead.”

Davis also admitted that when officers usually respond to welfare checks, they are accompanied by a mental health co-responder, but the officer who killed Sydney Wilson was not. But Davis said he was thankful that the co-responder wasn’t there, claiming they could have also been badly injured.

“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,” said Davis.

The police chief did send his thoughts and prayers to the family of Sydney Wilson and said his team was “committed to training” so something like this wouldn’t happen again.

“Any loss of life is something that we all mourn,” Chief 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.”

Sydney Wilson was a former college basketball player at Georgetown University. According to her obituary, “Sydney was a fierce competitor even though her outward demeanor has been described as ‘girly’ and ‘fancy,’ and she genuinely loved the game of basketball and all her teammates throughout the years, creating lifelong bonds.”

The Georgetown women’s basketball team posted a tribute to Wilson on their X social media account.

“Georgetown women’s basketball mourns the tragic loss of Sydney Wilson (C’13). Forever a Hoya,” the team wrote.

Georgetown women’s basketball mourns the tragic loss of Sydney Wilson (C’13). Forever a Hoya.#HoyaSaxa pic.twitter.com/vqwD8M6x4t

— Georgetown WBB (@GeorgetownWBB) September 20, 2024

The investigation into her fatal shooting is ongoing.

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