Coroner's inquest jury classifies Myles Gray's death as homicide

The jury at a coroner's inquest into the death of Myles Gray has classified his death as a homicide, becoming one of the first official bodies to designate his death as such since he was beaten by multiple Vancouver police officers nearly eight years ago.

The jurors returned their verdict Monday after hearing testimony on Gray's death from more than 40 witnesses over the course of the inquiry, including the police officers involved in the struggle, firefighters, paramedics, independent investigators, use-of-force trainers, a toxicologist and a forensic pathologist.

Four out of the five jurors were in favour of the decision after six hours of deliberation.

"I think it is the best possible outcome for an inquest," said Margie Gray, Myles Gray's mother.

"I'm just really relieved this whole process is over," she added. "It's been a long seven-and-a-half years and definitely a long two weeks, and today was very stressful, very anxiety provoking."

Gray, 33, died after the struggle with police in a shrouded backyard in Burnaby, B.C., in August 2015. His injuries included ruptured testicles, a broken voice box, a fractured eye socket and widespread bruising. The family has long called for stronger condemnation of the officers involved in his death, who remain with the force and did not face criminal charges.

Coroner's inquests in B.C. do not make findings of legal responsibility, but jurors were tasked with classifying Gray's death and making recommendations to prevent similar fatalities.

One of the jury's three recommendations called on the Vancouver Police Department to implement the use of body cameras with audio-recording capability for all patrol officers in the city, while the second called for a review of the department's de-escalation and crisis containment training.

In particular, jurors said police need to review how officers assess people who might be struggling with their mental health.

Witness testimony over the two-week inquest covered the moment police were dispatched to Gray's death and years of subsequent investigations.

Two people initially called 911 the afternoon Gray died to report a man had yelled at a woman watering plants outside her co-op on Marine Drive and sprayed her with a garden hose.

One officer said he tried to talk to Gray after responding alone but retreated and called for backup after he taunted her and grabbed the window or driver's side door of her police van.

Two officers who responded to her call told the jury they briefly tried speaking with Gray after following him east into Burnaby but used pepper spray when he did not kneel as asked.

More officers continued to arrive as the fight escalated inside the backyard on Joffre Avenue.