I recently read a news story on the Associated Press website about a black man who was shot by police in his back last year by the name of Dyshan Best. Best was a 39 year old black man who was fleeing from law enforcement in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 2025. At the time of the shooting, which was later deemed justified by a state investigation, it was found Dyshan Best had a gun in his hand and posed a threat to officers who were chasing him. Best was shot in the back, which I find questionable when anyone is shot in the back. I am not feeling the state's findings. But the point of this article is a bit different issue, than just the issue of black people being mowed down the police routinely in this country, whether people have committed a crime or not.
After Best was shot, an ambulance was called onto the shooting scene. I am not sure if anyone attempted to administer aid to Best, but given the details, I highly doubt it. The first ambulance to arrive did not attend the man who had been shot in the back; it attended to a white female office who was having an anxiety attack! Talk about "white priorities"! The white officer, a female by the name of Erin Perrotta, had became hysterical; so the first ambulance which arrived 14 minutes into the scene was designated by other police officers to ignore Dyshan Best, (who was severely injured and would later die), and address the hysterical cop who was crying. The first ambulance arrived at 6:02, appropriated by officers to attend to Perrotta, and a second ambulance would arrive at 6:12, finally for the black man shot in the back. There was a 10 minute gap between the two ambulances arrival times.
Best arrived at the hospital 14 minutes after Perotta arrived. Approximately one hour and twenty minutes later upon his arrival, he succumbed to his injuries. Will anyone ever know if Dyshan Best had been taken by ambulances first, if he would had survived? That seems very possible. One would think a man shot in the back should be taken first as opposed to a crying hysterical cop, who should not be a police officer in the first place. Crying, that's fine, hysterics is not fine, and quite dangerous. But the difference between how these two individuals were treated is obviously a case based on race. Many white people will rally around the officers' decision to diss Best, saying black Best was a thug, and the white officer was crying. Like I said earlier, "white priorities".
The AP further reports on the incident: '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."
There is "debate" as to whether the officer who shot Best, by the name Yoon Heo, misinterpreted the vape pen in Best's hand to be gun, which has been described as a 9mm handgun. Once again, Best was shot in the back, running through a parking lot of disabled cars. There is body cam footage of the deadly encounter.
Whether this was justifiable force remains to be seen, but the problem here is an obvious one. A man shot in the back, even a black man, deserves to receive immediate medical treatment. Instead, in this incident as paramedics arrive, Perrotta, who is white, is selected to usurp an ambulance originally meant for a black man who was shot--all because she is hysterical?
This happens all the time in America, same type of play, just in different theaters.
