Officer having 'anxiety attack' took ambulance sent for man dying from
police shooting, report says
[March 12, 2026]
By DAVE COLLINS
A man who was shot by police and later died had to wait 10 extra minutes
for an ambulance after an officer having a “mild anxiety attack” took
the first one that arrived at the scene, according to a newly released
state investigation.
Dyshan Best, 39, was shot in the back last year as he fled from officers
in Bridgeport, Connecticut. A report released Tuesday by the state’s
inspector general found that the shooting was justified because Best had
a gun in his hand and the officer pursuing him had reasons to fear for
his own safety.
But the report raised questions about what took place after the March 31
shooting, which left Best, who was Black, bleeding with severe internal
injuries.
The first ambulance called to take Best to the hospital arrived at the
scene at 6:02 p.m., about 14 minutes after the shooting. However, at the
urging of other officers, that ambulance was used to take away a white
police officer, Erin Perrotta, who had been involved in the foot chase,
the report said.
Paramedics reported that Perrotta declined treatment in the ambulance.
“I am fine, I just needed to get out of here,” she said, according to
the report. Another officer described Perrotta at the time as “visibly
hysterical (crying and breathing rapidly) and had blood all over her
uniform,” the report said.
The second ambulance arrived at the scene at about 6:12 p.m. Hospital
records said Best was brought in for treatment at 6:22 p.m. — about 14
minutes after Perrotta got to the hospital, according to the report.
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.
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In this photo taken from video released by the Bridgeport Police
Department, Dyshan Best runs from a Bridgeport Police officer while
holding a gun Monday, March 31, 2025, in Bridgeport, Conn.
(Bridgeport Police Department via AP)
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.
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