- Police shooting victim left to bleed as ambulance diverted to treat mildly anxious officer instead
- Delay in emergency care raises ethical questions about priorities and impartiality of the system
- Victim’s family expresses deep anger, arguing the delay may have cost the man his life
The events described in the CBS News report about the death of Dyshan Best read less like a tragic accident and more like a deeply disturbing example of misplaced priorities and moral failure. At the center of the story is a simple, haunting fact: a dying man waited for help while an ambulance meant for him was diverted elsewhere.
Best, a 39-year-old Black man, was shot by police during a foot chase in Bridgeport on March 31, 2025. Authorities say Best fled from officers and was holding a gun during the pursuit. One officer fired, striking him in the back and leaving him with catastrophic internal injuries. Investigators later ruled the shooting legally justified. But what happened next is what has ignited outrage and disbelief.
Warning: the following video is graphic
As Best lay bleeding from severe wounds to his liver and kidney, the first ambulance finally arrived at the scene roughly 14 minutes after the shooting. That ambulance, however, did not take the critically injured man to the hospital. Instead, officers directed it to transport Officer Erin Perrotta, who reported experiencing what investigators described as a “mild anxiety attack” after the chase.
Perrotta reportedly declined medical treatment and told responders she simply needed to leave the scene. According to investigators, she told them she “just needed to get out of there.” Yet the ambulance departed with her anyway, forcing Best—who was fighting for his life—to wait about ten additional minutes for another ambulance to arrive. Only then was he transported to the hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
Whether those lost minutes changed the outcome is still uncertain. But the optics are undeniable and infuriating. A man who had just been shot and was bleeding internally was left waiting for emergency care while a police officer experiencing emotional distress was given immediate priority—even though she did not require treatment.
Best’s family has expressed deep anger and heartbreak, arguing that the delay may have cost him his life. Their outrage resonates with a broader public unease: if emergency services exist to save lives, how could the person most clearly in mortal danger be treated as the secondary priority?
Even if the shooting itself was ruled justified, the aftermath raises serious ethical questions. In a moment that demanded clarity, compassion, and urgency, the system instead produced a decision that many people see as profoundly unjust—and impossible to defend.
