Summery : The jury in a BC coroner's inquest found Myles Gray died of manslaughter, with four jurors agreeing and one against. The jury recommended speeding up the implementation of body cameras for Vancouver Police Department officers, review of crisis de-escalation training, and review of toxicology tests. Gray died in August 2015 after a violent altercation with several Vancouver police officers. The Gray family has been living through a painful saga for seven and a half years, with seven police officers involved in an attempted arrest. Six officers face charges under the Police Act for failing to take notes on the interaction with Gray.
Dr. Mathew Orde, the pathologist who performed Gray's autopsy, testified that Gray had bleeding in his brain, fractured bones in his face, a dislocated jaw and ruptured testicles. The Crown declined to press charges due to the BC Prosecution Service's chastised reports.
Full Story : The jury in a BC coroner’s inquest into the death of Myles Gray after a beating by police found the 33-year-old man died of manslaughter.
The verdict was delivered on Monday along with several recommendations aimed at preventing future deaths in similar circumstances. The jury’s verdict does not find fault or assign blame. A manslaughter ruling means Gray’s death was due to an injury intentionally inflicted by someone else, but it has no weight in the criminal justice system.
The verdict was not unanimous, with four jurors agreeing and one against.
One of the recommendations delivered was to speed up the implementation of body cameras for Vancouver Police Department officers.
The jury would also like to see VPD conduct a full review of its crisis de-escalation training and enhancement of that program.
During the inquest, the jury learned that the toxicology tests performed on samples from Gray’s body were not as thorough as they could have been, and recommended a review of the policies and procedures surrounding toxicology samples.
Gray died in August 2015 after a violent altercation with several Vancouver police officers in a residential yard east of Boundary Road.
The initial 911 call that put Gray in contact with police involved an erratic man who had sprayed a woman with a garden hose, acting in a threatening manner.
The first officer on the scene testified that Gray tried to intimidate her, so she called for backup.
In all, seven police officers were involved in the attempted arrest and many of them testified that they kicked and punched Gray and hit him with their knee and baton.
Once Gray had his hands cuffed behind his back and his feet bound with a device called a restraint, officers continued to hold Gray down until they realized he had stopped breathing.
Six officers face charges under the Police Act for failing to take notes on the interaction with Gray.
Many testified that members of the Vancouver Police Union advised them not to.
“It’s an atrocity what happened to my son and now I’m glad it’s been publicized,” Margie Gray said after the jury returned their verdict in her son’s death. “It took seven and a half years for that to happen.”
Dr. Mathew Orde, the pathologist who performed Gray’s autopsy, testified that he had bleeding in his brain, fractured bones in his face, a dislocated jaw and ruptured testicles, among other injuries.
The Bureau of Independent Investigations, the BC police watchdog, sent a report to Crown to consider charges against some of the officers, including manslaughter, aggravated assault and assault with bodily harm.
The Crown declined to press charges, in part because the BC Prosecution Service said the only witnesses to what happened were the very officers whom BCPS chastised for providing “incomplete” and “inconsistent” reports.
For the Gray family, Monday’s verdict marks the end of yet another chapter in the painful saga they have been living through for seven and a half years.
“As a mom, that’s what I really wanted — to have it broadcast publicly,” said Margie Gray. “This should never have happened. However, the truth is out now.”
