Margie Gray arrives for the first day of a coroner's inquest into the beating death of her son, Myles Gray, who died following a confrontation with several police officers in 2015, in Burnaby, B.C., on Monday, April 17, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
BURNABY, B.C. – A coroner’s inquest has heard from a man whose 911 call set off the police response that led to the beating death of another man by several officers.
Myles Gray, who was 33, died in Burnaby, B.C., in August 2015 within an hour of the beating by Vancouver police officers that left him with injuries including a fractured eye socket, nose and rib, a crushed voice box and a ruptured testicle.
Muhammed Reza says he called police because he was scared for his safety and that of people in his neighbourhood after Gray wandered into the area, swore at his mother and sprayed her with a nearby garden hose.
Reza told the inquest he ran outside after hearing his mother’s screams and saw Gray, who was shirtless and appeared to be intoxicated or having a “breakdown.”
He says he called police and kept an eye on Gray, who was walking in circles, yelling and at one point ran onto the street and was almost hit by several cars.
The inquest began Monday, more than seven years after Gray’s death, with testimony from six of about 40 witnesses expected to appear over 10 days.
An officer directly involved in the incident is scheduled to testify later Tuesday.
The rest are expected to testify over the coming days.
In the 911 call played during the inquest, the dispatcher is heard confirming there had been “no physical violence” at that point, and later asking Reza whether he thought Gray needed an ambulance, to which he replied he wasn’t sure.
Reza testified that a female officer arrived about half an hour after he first called 911, and he followed at a distance as she approached Gray with a van.
He recalled Gray being “a little bit aggressive” toward the officer, who then returned to her vehicle.
Gray’s sister, Melissa, told media ahead of the start of the inquest that the officers involved in the beating stole her brother’s life and they don’t deserve to keep their jobs in policing.
She testified that her brother was goofy and kind, and while the years since his death have been a nightmare, her family takes comfort knowing he was innocent.
Gray was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after an episode in high school, around 1999, but to her knowledge, he was stable after that, she told the jury.
The inquest has also heard from Gray’s family doctor, who testified that he met Gray in 2011 and determined his bipolar disorder was “well controlled.”
A coroner’s jury can’t make findings of legal responsibility, but can make recommendations to prevent future deaths under similar circumstances.
British Columbia’s Prosecution Service declined to approve criminal charges against the officers in 2020, saying they were the only witnesses to the incident.
The Crown could not prove any offence had been committed, the service said, noting the officers had provided incomplete and sometimes inconsistent accounts.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 18, 2023.
