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.

  • SCmSTR@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    1 day ago

    This is, at minimum, homicide.

    Taking the life of another person, a civilian, that you are responsible for, as not just any social servant, but as a constable of police, must have much, much more serious consequences. It is disgusting and unacceptable, and should be much more deeply discouraged through criminal punishment in a way that truly carries the weight of taking an entire life.

    • dan69@lemmy.world
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      10 hours ago

      Don’t minimize death of another. Provoked or not. Physically taking a gun out and shooting is murder/homicide. There are always ALTERNATIVES!!

  • NauticalNoodle@lemmy.ml
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    1 day ago

    I have a hard to believing that shooting someone in the back can ever be justified by a fear for your life.

    • the_crotch@sh.itjust.works
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      1 day ago

      According to the cops he had a gun and was pointing it behind him. They did find a gun next to him after he was shot. Time will tell if the bodycams back up that narrative, but if they do imo the shooting was justified. Nothing can justify what happened afterward though.

      • moakley@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        Why would we take the cops at their word? That’s just silly. Either they have the bodycam footage to back it up, or they’re lying.

        • the_crotch@sh.itjust.works
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          1 day ago

          I’m not taking them at their word. I’m speculating about a scenario where the bodycam footage backs them up. CT is usually pretty good about releasing this stuff so we will find out.

      • NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        Even if there was no gun pointing backwards and he just had the gun, if the person fleeing has shown they are willing to use it, isn’t that enough reason to fear for the saftey of others and take the shot?

        I know there’s some line where that becomes okay, but not sure when/where.

        • the_crotch@sh.itjust.works
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          1 day ago

          I wouldn’t say so, no. I don’t think cops should be allowed to shoot someone simply for possessing a gun. Deadly force is intended to stop an imminent threat, not someome who may become a threat at some unknown time in the future.

          • NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world
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            1 day ago

            Simply possessing a gun absolutely not, but there are rules and exceptions for example on if they have shot at innocent people during the altercation already.

            I’m just not sure where that line is, but it does exist.

            edit: Like, shooting at innocent people during the alternation might not be enough even, it might need to be shooting at innocent people while fleeing.

            • jonesey71@lemmus.org
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              1 day ago

              All the police have is unsubstantiated claims from a 911 call. Thinking that is enough for lethal force is why SWATing happens. Fake 911 calls about serious crimes trying to get the police to show up and murder people. The job of the police is not to determine guilt or innocence, nor do they punish, those are for the judicial branch.

              • NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world
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                1 day ago

                I never said that was enough for lethal force, but there are reasons a cop will shoot someone in the back and it be valid.

                You kinda keep dodging what I’m talking about, which is if the person has shown to be a actual threat to the public.

                There are rules around it, I just don’t know what that threshold is.

                I’m not saying this was met in this case, but I am saying they CAN shoot someone who’s running away in some circumstances. (edit: without having to even be pointing the gun at the cop)

                edit: My bad also you aren’t the same person replying to me, so you aren’t repeatedly dodging anything.

                • jonesey71@lemmus.org
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                  1 day ago

                  Hypothetically, yes there are justified shootings. Deciding if a shooting is justified should be done by a jury though, not an internal investigation. All lethal use of force cases should be prosecuted and guilt/innocence should be decided by a jury. The use of lethal force justification being decided by a judge/prosecutor/police is short-cutting the legal standard that any other victim would see their perpetrator held to and is therefore a 14th amendment violation.

  • SilverCode@lemmy.ml
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    2 days ago

    The officer feared for his safety from the guy running AWAY from him?

    What kind of snowflakes do they hire for police officers over there? Did the poor little policeman get a juice box and a safety blanket afterwards to take a nap break from the big scarey world after he murdered someone?

  • Zer0_F0x@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    This is only second to that time the cops killed a dude then sent a dry cleaner bill to his family because of all the blood they had to wash from their uniforms

  • Miles O'Brien@startrek.website
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    2 days ago

    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.

    If I shoot a rich white man in the back who is running away from me and claim I “feared for my life” I’d probably get the death penalty.

  • Buffalox@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    Country of sycophants.

    Edit:
    To those that downvote, this is not just the officer, it is also his colleagues that URGED the ambulance to take the officer instead. And finally the ambulance people should CLEARLY have deemed it more important to take the gunshot victim, which the ambulance was called for! This makes it a bad decission not by 1 person, but by at least 5 people who agreed on this insane unprofessional decision all around.

    But this anecdote is of course not the reason for my comment, it is everything about American society, American society is based on psychopathy, which is the reason Trump was able to win twice. How could Trump win the election twice unless people were fine with his obvious malignant narcissism.
    And if you say it isn’t obvious, it’s because you suffer the same problem. Because IT IS FUCKING OBVIOUS to any normal person.

    • MerryJaneDoe@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      How could Trump win the election twice unless people were fine with his obvious malignant narcissism.

      1. He could have rigged the election

      2. It could be that anti-Trumpers are less likely to get off their ass and VOTE, while boomer MAGAs showed up in full force.

      Just spinning ideas here…

          • Buffalox@lemmy.world
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            1 day ago

            1: Trump got the Majority vote, so in this case the point is invalid. As democracy actually prevailed.
            2: Nope that’s the rules, if you don’t participate in elections, your complaints about the results are void.

            Of course in USA that doesn’t have a functional democracy, you can complain if you are not allowed to vote, for instance for being caught with a joint in the 70’s. In a real democracy criminals can vote too. Removing your right to vote because of arbitrary laws that criminalizes behavior that is typical for a demographic you are oppressing is not democracy.

          • mic_check_one_two@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            1 day ago

            Gerrymandering has zero impact on the presidential election, because districts don’t matter for the statewide vote. The Electoral College, on the other hand…

              • mic_check_one_two@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                24 hours ago

                Sure, but the original question was “how did Trump win the election?” Which means “Gerrymandering” is an objectively incorrect answer.

                If you wanted to discuss the electoral college, and how it reduces the entire election down to only a few states, (and how Trump didn’t win the popular vote in 2016, which should have ended his political career entirely, but he still beat Hillary in the Electoral College so he ended up in office), then that would be a valid answer. But you didn’t mention the electoral college at all, and pointed to a red herring instead.

                • MerryJaneDoe@lemmy.world
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                  23 hours ago

                  Yes, objectively incorrect. I agree. That’s me. Please, sleep well tonight knowing that I stand corrected.