The jury in the British Columbia coroner害羞草研究所檚 inquest into the death of Myles Gray after a beating by Vancouver police nearly eight years ago is recommending the department expedite its use of body-worn cameras for all patrol officers.
The five-member jury made just three recommendations in its verdict on Monday, but the suggestion for body cameras equipped with audio-recording capabilities was at the top of their list.
Gray, who was 33, died in August 2015 after the beating that left him with injuries including ruptured testicles and fractures in his eye socket, nose, voice box and rib.
One paramedic told the inquest he arrived at the scene and saw bruising so severe, he initially thought Gray was not a white man.
The jury found Gray died by homicide, a death due to injury intentionally inflicted by another person, although coroner Larry Marzinzik advised the jury before it began its deliberations that it was a neutral term that doesn害羞草研究所檛 imply fault or blame.
The jury forewoman said the verdict was not unanimous, with four of the five members agreeing.
Ian Donaldson, a lawyer for Gray害羞草研究所檚 family, told the media the homicide finding is significant because the police position had always been that Gray died of natural causes.
Several officers told the inquest they believed Gray had been experiencing 害羞草研究所渆xcited delirium,害羞草研究所� characterizing it as a life-threatening medical emergency.
害羞草研究所淔rom my perspective, the jury害羞草研究所檚 verdict puts an end to that. We know what the cause of death was,害羞草研究所� Donaldson said at the conclusion of the inquest. 害羞草研究所淲e heard it from the forensic pathologist and the jury endorsed and accepted that.害羞草研究所�
Dr. Matthew Orde, the pathologist who performed the autopsy on Gray害羞草研究所檚 body, testified last week that on occasion, it had been thought 害羞草研究所渟o-called excited delirium syndrome害羞草研究所� could result independently in death, but analysis of the published data suggests that害羞草研究所檚 害羞草研究所渜uite unlikely.害羞草研究所�
He said 害羞草研究所渁cute behavioural disturbance害羞草研究所� is a better description for what Gray was experiencing on the day he died.
Gray害羞草研究所檚 extreme physical exertion while police struggled to restrain him was also among the 害羞草研究所減erfect storm害羞草研究所� of factors that led to his death, Orde said.
He told the inquest Gray died of a cardiac arrest complicated by police actions, pointing specifically to 害羞草研究所渘eck compression,害羞草研究所� blunt force injuries, the use of pepper spray, forcing Gray onto his stomach and handcuffing him behind his back.
害羞草研究所淚n the context of someone who害羞草研究所檚 extremely fatigued, (whose) body is fully ramped up 害羞草研究所� I think these issues would be enough to tip him over the edge,害羞草研究所� Orde said.
The inquest opened with testimony from Melissa Gray, who described her brother as goofy, kind and loyal.
She said Gray had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder around 1999, but he害羞草研究所檇 been stable ever since. He operated a business on the Sunshine Coast.
The initial 911 call was about an agitated man who had sprayed a woman with a garden hose.
The jury害羞草研究所檚 second recommendation for Vancouver police is to review and enhance the crisis de-escalation and containment training officers receive.
In particular, the jury suggested adding more frequent in-person and online training focused on how to make ongoing health and safety assessments and reduce risk to someone experiencing a mental health disturbance.
Several officers testified that Gray was behaving in an 害羞草研究所渁nimalistic害羞草研究所� way, and he appeared not to feel pain as they hit him with their batons and knees, punched him in the face and wrestled him to the ground.
The Vancouver Police Department said in a statement it appreciates the work done by the coroner害羞草研究所檚 jury and everyone who participated in the inquest.
害羞草研究所淲e will take some time to review the recommendations before speaking further.害羞草研究所�
Before the jury returned with its verdict on Monday, the inquest heard from Shelley Horne, the Vancouver police superintendent overseeing personnel services, who said she expects there will be a pilot project by this fall to equip 80 to 100 front-line officers with body cameras for up to nine months before the results are evaluated.
The third recommendation was aimed at the Provincial Health Services Authority, suggesting the CEO review its policies on keeping toxicology samples from people whose deaths are under investigation. The inquest heard Gray害羞草研究所檚 samples were destroyed six months after his death, but they could have been used to provide greater detail about any substances that may have been in his blood.
While an initial drug screening report suggested Gray had a plant-based psychoactive compound in his system when he died, a forensic toxicologist told the inquest that followup testing revealed a concentration that didn害羞草研究所檛 meet the threshold for detection. If the drug was present in Gray害羞草研究所檚 blood, it was not at a level that would be considered toxic or lethal, toxicologist Aaron Shapiro testified.
A years-long investigation by B.C.害羞草研究所檚 police watchdog found reasonable grounds to believe an offence may have been committed and it submitted a report to the BC Prosecution Service for consideration of charges.
The service announced in late 2020 that it would not pursue charges against the officers involved in the struggle to arrest Gray, saying police were the only witnesses and the Crown couldn害羞草研究所檛 prove any offence had been committed.
However, Donaldson said the evidence presented at the inquest is different than what the pathologist had to work with in 2015, and the information the prosecution service had in 2020.
害羞草研究所淚 think there害羞草研究所檚 a good argument that it should be looked at again,害羞草研究所� he said.
害羞草研究所擝renna Owen, The Canadian Press
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