Protesters hold banners with a photograph of Myles Gray, who died following a confrontation with several police officers in 2015, before the start of a coroner's inquest into his death, in Burnaby, B.C., on Monday, April 17, 2023. A Vancouver police officer has described efforts to resuscitate Gray at the inquest. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
BURNABY, B.C. – A Vancouver police officer told a coroner’s inquest that “time was standing still” as they waited for advanced life support paramedics to arrive and help revive 33-year-old Myles Gray after he was beaten by officers trying to arrest him.
Const. Derek Cain described to the jury their efforts to resuscitate Gray, who he says was sweating profusely, wasn’t communicating normally, and had “superhuman” strength.
Cain, who had worked as a paramedic, says those symptoms suggested they weren’t dealing with someone who simply didn’t want to be arrested – rather it was a life-threatening medical emergency that required immediate intervention.
He says he called for advanced life support paramedics, who are specially trained and carry equipment required to administer sedatives, and his communication with Gray changed from telling him he was under arrest to saying help was on the way.
After police had handcuffed Gray, Cain testified that he watched as Gray stopped breathing, so he moved Gray into a sitting position and rubbed his sternum.
Within a few seconds, Cain says Gray started breathing and tensing his muscles again, but he stopped again moments later, and efforts to resuscitate him through chest compressions, oxygen and an automated defibrillator were not successful.
Cain also testified that a police union representative told him not to make handwritten notes after the incident, echoing testimony the jury heard from two other officers on Thursday.
“I truly believed in all my heart that we would bring him back. But all of our resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful,” Cain told the inquest.
Several additional Vancouver police officers are expected to testify at the 10-day inquest that began Monday.
The jury won’t be able to make findings of legal responsibility at the inquest but may make recommendations to prevent similar deaths in the future.
The BC Prosecution Service announced in 2020 that charges would not be approved against the officers, saying police were the only witnesses to the incident and the Crown couldn’t prove any offence had been committed.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 21, 2023.
