Police Officer Having An Anxiety Attack Took Ambulance Sent For Man Dying From Police Shooting

Anxiety attacks are awful, but I think gunshot wounds usually require more immediate and serious care. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case when it came to this bizarre story out of Bridgeport, Connecticut, this week.

Dyshan Best, 39, was shot by officers during a police chase and later died after having to wait 10 extra minutes for an ambulance because an officer having a “mild anxiety attack” took the first one that arrived at the scene.

The first ambulance arrived at 6:02pm, roughly 14 minutes after the shooting. However, at the request of other officers, it was used to transport Officer Erin Perrotta, who was described as “visibly hysterical”.

Once inside the ambulance, Perotta reportedly told paramedics: “I am fine, I just needed to get out of here.”

Meanwhile, Dyshan Best lay bleeding to death in the middle of the street with severe internal injuries to his liver and kidney.

A second ambulance did not arrive until 6:12pm, causing a 10-minute delay in Best’s transport to the hospital. He was pronounced dead at 7:41pm – an hour and a half later.

The report from Connecticut Inspector General Eliot Prescott concluded that the shooting itself was justified, as video evidence showed Best was armed with a 9mm handgun and pointed it toward pursuing Officer Yoon Heo. So that’s fair enough.

However, the report questioned the police’s decision to prioritise an officer’s anxiety attack over a life-threatening gunshot wound.

You also have to wonder what the paramedics who turned up in the ambulance were thinking? Surely they’d know a gunshot wound is a more pressing matter than an anxiety attack, even if the cops were being pushy about it.

The Bridgeport Police Department is now conducting an internal investigation into the matter. Officer Perrotta is already on leave due to an unrelated probe.

It’s also worth noting that Best’s family, through their lawyer, have disputed that he had a gun while also expressing outrage over the medical delay.

Best was shot in the back, which could also suggest that he wasn’t an immediate threat, but apparently the Inspector General watched the footage and said the shooting was 100% justified, so who knows?

Ultimately, it sounds like this female officer witnessed a shooting and had a panic attack about it, and immediately felt better once she was in the ambulance and knew she was escaping the situation.

Would Dyshan Best have survived if the first ambulance had picked him up? I guess we’ll never know.

For the man who won £346,000 in compensation after an unwanted birthday party sparked a panic attack at work, click HERE.