'Intensely traumatizing': Myles Gray's family reeling after hearing, seeing details of how he died

The inquest into Myles Gray's death revealed details about the 33-year-old's injuries during a violent arrest that left his mother and sister outraged and traumatized, with both saying they saw photos showing he was beaten beyond recognition.

The forensic pathologist who conducted Gray’s autopsy took the stand and told the jury Gray had such a multitude of severe injuries that he could not pinpoint one single specific cause of Gray’s death.

“He died as a result of a cardiopulmonary arrest complicated by law enforcement subdual restraint (involving the application of OC spray, multiple blunt force injuries, neck compression, dorsal handcuffing, and forcible prone position; in an individual exhibiting features of acute behavioural disturbance.)” Dr. Mathew Orde read directly from the 2015 report. 

The inquest has heard that Gray, who was a bodybuilder, may have used steroids, had been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder in 1999, and may have consumed an unknown quantity of cannabis some time during the month before he died.

Orde testified that he didn’t believe any of those facts was a significant contributing factor in Gray’s death.“I don’t think he would have died when he did had it not been for the police interaction on that day,” Orde told the inquest.

'I WANT THE WORLD TO KNOW'

At a news conference Thursday, Gray's sister Melissa spoke about Orde’s testimony.

"That is how my brother died. We knew this information all along, and now I want the world to know," she said, later adding that this testimony along with photos of Gray's injuries painted a horrifying picture of her brother's final moments.

"His face was unrecognizable. His body was discoloured. He was beaten and forcibly held down until he couldn't breathe. He couldn't communicate. His voice box was broken."

That description of the photos is consistent with the testimony given by the first responders who tried to resuscitate Gray, with several of them describing him as severely bruised and bloodied with both eyes blackened and swollen shut.

That testimony was at odds with what the jury and the family heard from more than a dozen officers from the Vancouver Police Department who said repeatedly that they did not notice any injuries to Gray's face.

"All of these 14 officers sat there and lied to us and it is not acceptable and we are not going to stand for it anymore," Melissa said.

PHOTOS OF INJURIES DESCRIBED AS TORTUROUS, TRAUMATIC BY FAMILY 

The photos, according to the family, may not ever be seen by the five-person jury at the coroner's inquest. As the family spoke to reporters outside, arguments were being heard about whether or not the photos would be shown. Both Melissa and Myles' mother Margie said lawyers for the Vancouver Police Department were asking for the photos to be excluded.

"Unfortunately, we saw a glimpse of those photos and he is unrecognizable. Unrecognizable. It's intensely traumatizing," Margie said.

"I am outraged that they do not want those photos to be seen."

The coroner's inquest into Gray's death is set to last through the end of this week. The jury can not find fault but can make recommendations to prevent future deaths in similar circumstances.

After what unfolded Thursday morning, Melissa said the outcome falls far short of what she thinks justice for her brother would look like.

"We are listening to torturous details. For what? A recommendation? No. These people need to be in jail," she said.

"I don't know what the next step is going to be. But something needs to change and these guys need to be off the streets."

Gray's arrest was initially investigated by B.C.'s police watchdog, the Independent Investigations Office, which faced pushback from law enforcement. At one point, the IIO had to file a court petition to compel an officer's co-operation.

After a lengthy investigation, the watchdog submitted a report to Crown counsel in 2019, but prosecutors said they were unable to pursue charges because of issues with the evidence.

“There were reasonable grounds to believe officers had committed an offence,” IIO Chief Civilian Director Ron MacDonald told the inquest in testimony Thursday afternoon.

The only witnesses to Gray's death were the officers on scene, and the B.C. Prosecution Service said they provided "incomplete and, in several respects, inconsistent accounts of the detail and sequence of events" surrounding the incident.

With files from The Canadian Press and CTV News Vancouver's Andrew Weichel