Officer having 'anxiety attack' took ambulance sent for man dying from police shooting, report says

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.

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.

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)

In this photo taken from video released by the Bridgeport Police Department, Bridgeport Police officer Yoon Heo points his gun as Dyshan Best runs while holding a gun Monday, March 31, 2025, in Bridgeport, Conn. (Bridgeport Police Department via AP)

In this photo taken from video released by the Bridgeport Police Department, Dyshan Best looks up at Bridgeport Police officer Yoon Heo after being shot by Heo during a chase, Monday, March 31, 2025, in Bridgeport, Conn. (Bridgeport Police Department via AP)

Geno Smith walked out of the New York Jets' facility for the final time after the 2016 season feeling as though he left behind unfinished business.

A long, winding and sometimes strange NFL journey for the now 35-year-old quarterback has him back in the building.

“I don’t think anyone could have imagined that, honestly,” Smith said in a video call with reporters Thursday. “But that’s the beauty of life itself. I mean, I make plans all the time and rarely do they go exactly as I planned.”

Smith was acquired from Las Vegas along with a seventh-round draft pick on Tuesday in exchange for a sixth-rounder, reuniting him with the team that drafted him in the second round in 2013.

“My goal was to play my entire career for the Jets and one day retire as a Jet,” Smith said. "And just to come back now, to have an opportunity to continue to play this game that I love so much and to be a part of that organization again, the organization that gave me a chance coming out of West Virginia and really believed in me. And although it didn’t go exactly as planned, somehow, someway we got back here.

“And I’m eager to kind of make things right if I can.”

Saying he’s “extremely confident, but not arrogant,” Smith also thinks he’s more than just a one-year placeholder for the Jets’ next future franchise quarterback.

“I believe I still have room to grow,” he said. “I believe I still have a ton of years left on my body to play this game and I want to continue to try to maximize it. So, I believe the Jets are getting a better player than I was in Seattle. I know that for a fact."

Smith first came to New York as a big-armed thrower who was thrust into the starter role as a rookie after incumbent Mark Sanchez injured a shoulder in a preseason game. There were some bright moments and solid performances. But there were also plenty of struggles that cast doubt on whether the player the Jets hoped would be their face of the franchise would become a consistent NFL starter.

Then came a locker room dispute during training camp in 2015, when his jaw was broken by a punch from teammate IK Enemkpali. Ryan Fitzpatrick took over as the starter and kept the job for most of the next two seasons.

And Smith was gone in 2017.

One-year stints as a backup with the Giants and Chargers followed. In 2019, he joined Seattle to sit behind Russell Wilson. Three years later, he became the Seahawks' starter — and thrived.

He won the AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year award in 2022, made two Pro Bowls and threw for more than 12,000 yards in three seasons with 71 touchdowns and 35 interceptions while establishing himself as one of the better quarterbacks in the league.

When coach Pete Carroll went to the Raiders last season, he traded for Smith to be his quarterback. But Smith was sacked 55 times and threw 17 INTs — both league highs — and the Raiders went 3-14, fired Carroll and ended up with the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft. With Indiana's Fernando Mendoza likely in their sights, the Raiders parted ways with Smith.

And the Jets came calling, looking for a veteran to lead their offense.

“The first initial thought was just, man, what an honor to be considered to be the quarterback of the Jets again,” he said.

Smith will work with new Jets offensive coordinator Frank Reich in an offense that includes running back Breece Hall and wide receivers Garrett Wilson and Adonai Mitchell. He said he's eager to “be a sponge” and run the offense while learning from Reich.

“I think it’s going to be special,” he said.

He'll also be reunited with linebacker Demario Davis, his teammate for three seasons who signed as a free agent to also return to the Jets.

“What an incredible journey," Davis said of Smith, "and an incredible story.”

Smith is well-versed in the history of the franchise, which has the NFL's longest active playoff drought at 15 seasons — a skid that started before his first stint in New York. And the team still has only been to one Super Bowl, when Joe Namath and the Jets upset the heavily favored Colts in 1969.

“We want to go out there and give our fans something to be proud of, put a great product out there on the field, be competitive,” Smith said. “Not just competitive, but win a lot of games and also put ourselves in position to hoist that Lombardi (Trophy) at the end of the season."

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

FILE - Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith warms up before an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Dec. 21, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)

FILE - New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith passes against the Cincinnati Bengals in the first half of an NFL football game, Oct. 27, 2013, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/David Kohl, File)