As you approach the victim, the sheriff orders you to treat the deputy first. How would you handle this situation?

You have been dispatched to assist the Sheriff’s Department with a reporting shooting. You are told to stage two blocks west of the incident. After the scene has been secured, you are escorted into the building. The sheriff informs you that a suspect was shot by a deputy. The deputy received a superficial gunshot wound to her left arm. She is alert and ambulatory. From across the room you see a man lying on the ground with several wounds in his chest. You observe minimal respirations. As you approach the victim, the sheriff orders you to treat the deputy first. How would you handle this situation? Explain and be able to support your response.