Who is Sydney Wilson? Ex-Georgetown basketball player shot dead after incident with police officer

Former Georgetown basketball player Sydney Wilson was fatally shot by Virginia police after allegedly attacking an officer during a welfare check. The incident occurred on Sept. 16 when Fairfax County Police responded to a mental health call in Reston.

Wilson, 33, reportedly slashed Officer Peter Liu’s face with a knife before Liu fired in self-defense. She had previously posted on social media about being certified in adult mental health first aid. Body-camera footage shows Wilson initially greeting the officer but quickly shutting the door. Moments later, the situation escalated, resulting in the fatal shooting.

Who was Sydney Wilson?

Sydney Wilson was a former Georgetown Hoyas basketball player. Born in Pennsylvania, Wilson lived in Reston, Virginia, and graduated from St. John's College High School in Washington, D.C. She attended Georgetown University to pursue a bachelor's degree.

As a student-athlete, Wilson appeared in all 32 games in her junior season (2011-12) and led her team with 24 blocked shots. She was a defensive marvel for Georgetown, given her towering, 6-foot-6 presence. Wilson consistently posted standout performances, such as a 12-rebound game against No. 7 Miami in 2011 and a season-high 10-point effort against the George Washington Revolutionaries in the same season.

She averaged 3.2 points and 3.8 rebounds in 32 games, including 29 starts, in the 2011-12 season. She made a name for herself by pulling down crucial rebounds and making critical blocks.

According to her LinkedIn page, she completed a full-time student course load and dedicated additional hours to community service.

Off the court, Wilson worked as a leasing operations manager for JLL Mid-Atlantic in Washington, D.C., according to her LinkedIn page. She uploaded a job posting one month ago requesting a sales coordinator for the brokerage team at her company.

Wilson worked at Microsoft (Account Specialist, Bing Ads) and held managerial positions at Stone Street Capital, Resolution Media and Capitol Partners LLC.