Coroners inquest into B.C. man's death begins after nearly 8 years

The BC Coroners Service is set to begin a public inquest Monday into the death of a Sunshine Coast man after a violent altercation with Vancouver police.

Myles Gray died on August 13, 2015 after a clash with at least seven officers that sent him into cardiac arrest.

The altercation also left the 33-year-old with a broken eye socket, a partially dislocated jaw and numerous other injuries.

The Coroners Service says the jury can't make findings of "legal responsibility," but can only make recommendations to prevent future deaths under similar circumstances.

The BC Prosecution Service declined to approve criminal charges against the officers in 2020. That’s because they were the only witnesses to Gray’s death and they offered accounts described as incomplete and sometimes inconsistent.

Several of those officers are now facing charges under the Police Act for allegedly failing to take notes about the incident.

Some of them claim they received that direction from the police union.

In total, the presiding coroner and a jury is expected to hear from 41 people over the course of 10 days, including the officers directly involved in Gray's beating.