The public hearing into the death of Myles Gray resumed Tuesday after a four-week adjournment, with photos of the scene where the 33-year-old died after being beaten by seven Vancouver police officers in 2015.
The presented photos included Myles dead on the ground, with an extended baton, pepper spray, and medical materials scattered around his body. There was blood on the back of his head and a significant amount of blood on the grass.
Gray family lawyer Ian Donaldson says the images are disturbing.
“They are sad pictures of a young, dead man who has been profoundly beaten, lying on a lawn, all by himself,” said Donaldson.
A coroner’s jury concluded in 2023 that Gray’s death was a homicide after hearing that he died shortly after a beating by several officers, leaving him with injuries including a fractured eye socket, a crushed voice box and ruptured testicles.
Photos of injuries some of the officers sustained during the altercation, including bruising, were also shown to the hearing.
The officers have so far denied the allegations of abuse of authority and neglect of duty related to the death.
Gray had been suffering from mental health issues at the time.
“We ought not to be in a situation where our police officers are contributing materially to the death of someone who is in a state of weakness, vulnerability, crisis,” said Donaldson.
Related:
Replacement counsel Brock Martland stepped in Tuesday after former counsel Brad Hickford resigned last month over a remark picked up by a microphone in the hearing room, describing someone as “stupid,” and using an obscenity.
Donaldson is hopeful things will now proceed as planned, following the delay.
“I am absolutely confident that Mr. Martland will take up the mantle of Mr. Hickford’s brief and do an excellent job,” said Donaldson.
On Tuesday, Martland offered his condolences to Gray’s family for the “profound loss they’ve suffered.”
The hearing will continue through March 13, with dates set aside in April and May for the officers’ counsellors to respond.
Retired B.C. Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Arnold Bailey will then decide if the officers committed misconduct under the police act.
—With files from The Canadian Press