Family, attorney question why inspector general hasn’t released fatal Bridgeport PD shooting report
The inspector general said a 9mm handgun was found next to the spot where Dyshan Best, 39, fell after being shot on March 31, 2025 – but attorney Darnell Crosland, who is representing the family, says the inspector general has never produced the weapon.
More Stories
The family of a Bridgeport man who was shot to death by a police officer last year says they are "angry" because they have not yet received any update from the Connecticut inspector general, who is investigating the case.
The inspector general said a 9mm handgun was found next to the spot where Dyshan Best, 39, fell after being shot on March 31, 2025 – but attorney Darnell Crosland, who is representing the family, says the inspector general has never produced the weapon. The shooting took place in a driveway in the 1400-block of Kossuth Street after a foot chase, officials said.
RELATED: Attorney: Dyshan Best had vape pen, but no gun, when police fatally shot him
"At this point people are starting to ask if the gun was planted," Crosland said.
The attorney says the City of Bridgeport has now rejected an offer he made to settle the case in mediation. Bridgeport police initially said "the evidence shows the fatal shooting was in line with the state's use-of-force policy."
"The shooting is consistent with what we're seeing across the country – police officers shooting unarmed Black men," Crosland said.
The inspector general has not offered any new comment on the case. Crosland says the IG is not subject to a time limit for releasing the report.
Tatiana Barrett, Best's niece, says her uncle was “shot down by police like a dog.”
“We have to live with this horrible reality every day...and nobody has had the common courtesy, not once over the past 10 months, to reach out and let us know where things stand," she said.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE
Family of man fatally shot by Bridgeport police demands 'answers & justice'
Officials: Officer-involved shooting in Bridgeport sends man to hospital with 'critical injuries'
