A police shooting in Bridgeport is drawing anger after a Black man was left waiting for help while the first ambulance attended to an officer in distress.
Dyshan Best, an African American man, was shot during a police chase on March 31, 2025. He later died in the hospital. His family now says the delay in medical care may have cost him his life.
Police said they were called to a large fight involving about 30 people at a funeral parking area. Witnesses told officers that Best had shown a gun during the confusion.
Two officers, Erin Perrotta and Yoon Heo, approached Best while he sat inside a vehicle. Officers said he stepped out when told, but then suddenly ran.
The officers chased him across a nearby area, including a gas station lot. During the chase, he dropped items he was carrying and lost his shoes. The pursuit ended in a junkyard, where police said Best lifted a gun while still trying to get away. Officer Heo fired two shots. One bullet hit Best in the lower back, causing serious internal injuries.
Body camera footage later showed Best lying on the ground, talking and struggling to breathe.
At the same time, Officer Perrotta was in distress. Police said she was crying and shaking, and a supervisor described her condition as severe anxiety.
When the first ambulance arrived, it was directed to attend to the officer. Even though she refused treatment, she was still taken to the hospital.
A second ambulance reached Best about 10 minutes later. Emergency workers had already tried to stop the bleeding before he was taken to Bridgeport Hospital for surgery. He was pronounced dead at 7:41 p.m.
A report from the inspector general did not say if the delay in care changed the outcome. But for Best’s family, that question remains painful.
His niece said they believe he might still be alive if help had come faster.
Community voices and activists have also spoken out. They say the decision to treat the officer first shows a system that failed to respond quickly to a Black man in critical condition.
By: Paisley Rae Thompson