A critically wounded man shot by police in Connecticut was forced to wait an additional 10 minutes for an ambulance after the first vehicle on the scene was diverted to transport an officer experiencing a “mild anxiety attack”, a new state investigation has revealed.
Dyshan Best, 39, died after being shot in the back last year as he fled officers in Bridgeport.
While a report released on Tuesday by the state’s inspector general deemed the shooting justified – noting Best had a gun and the pursuing officer feared for their safety – it raised significant questions about the events immediately following the March 31 incident.
Mr Best, who was Black, was left bleeding with severe internal injuries. The initial ambulance, called to take him to hospital, arrived at 6:02p.m., approximately 14 minutes after the shooting. However, at the urging of other officers, this ambulance was instead used to transport white police officer Erin Perrotta, who had been involved in the foot chase.
Paramedics reported that Ms Perrotta declined treatment inside the ambulance, stating: “I am fine, I just needed to get out of here.” Another officer described her at the time as “visibly hysterical (crying and breathing rapidly) and had blood all over her uniform,” according to the report.
The second ambulance eventually arrived at the scene around 6:12 p.m. Hospital records indicate Mr Best was admitted for treatment at 6:22 p.m. – some 14 minutes after Officer Perrotta had already reached the hospital.
Best died at 7:41 p.m. as he was undergoing treatment for the gunshot wound, which damaged his liver and right kidney.
The report by Inspector General Eliot Prescott did not say whether the delay in waiting for another ambulance contributed to Best’s death.
One of Best’s nieces, Tatiana Barrett, told The Associated Press that revelations from the report have angered and saddened family and friends. They believe he could have survived if he was taken to the hospital in the first ambulance.
“Honestly it’s heartbreaking hearing all these details,” she said. “We were looking for justice. In our community, we don’t know what justice looks like. We want justice for my uncle. We truly believe he was murdered.”
A spokesperson for Bridgeport police, Shawnna White, declined to comment Wednesday when asked about Perrotta taking the first ambulance. She said in an email that the police department’s Internal Affairs Division would conduct its own investigation.
Perrotta currently is out on administrative leave due to an unrelated matter, which White did not disclose.
Phone and email messages were left Wednesday for Perrotta, Mayor Joe Ganim’s office, Prescott’s office, the city police union and Darnell Crosland, a lawyer for Best’s family.
The series of events began when someone called 911 to report a brawl involving about 30 people, including some who had guns. A witness pointed officers to two men in an SUV and said they had a gun, the report says.
Perrotta approached the passenger’s side of the vehicle and opened the door. Best is seen on police body camera video in the passenger’s seat, holding a bottle of alcohol, a vape pen and a cellphone. Perrotta asks Best to step out of the SUV so she could pat him down, the video shows. Best gets out of the vehicle, then runs away with police chasing after him.
During the chase, Best pulled out a 9 mm handgun, the report said. As he ran into a lot filled with disabled cars, the officer chasing him, Yoon Heo, fired his gun twice, striking Best once.
The inspector general concluded, based on the video evidence, that the shooting was justified because Best pointed his gun backward at Heo as he ran.
While wounded on the ground, Best said, “I got shot,” the videos show. Heo responds, “You pulled a gun on me,” but Best says “No I didn’t.” Heo then says “Yeah you did.” Prescott said a handgun was found near Best at the scene.
After the shooting, the family’s lawyer, Crosland disputed that Best had a gun and claimed he was instead holding a vape pen. Prescott said police body camera video clearly show Best with a pistol in his hand.
Best’s niece, Barrett, said he was a truck driver who had returned to his hometown of Bridgeport to attend a friend’s funeral.
