The jury in the British Columbia coronerB次元官网网址檚 inquest into the death of Myles Gray after a beating by Vancouver police nearly eight years ago is recommending the department expedite its use of body-worn cameras for all patrol officers.

The five-member jury made just three recommendations in its verdict on Monday, but the suggestion for body cameras equipped with audio-recording capabilities was at the top of their list.

Gray, who was 33, died in August 2015 after the beating that left him with injuries including ruptured testicles and fractures in his eye socket, nose, voice box and rib.

One paramedic told the inquest he arrived at the scene and saw bruising so severe, he initially thought Gray was not a white man.

The jury found Gray died by homicide, a death due to injury intentionally inflicted by another person, although coroner Larry Marzinzik advised the jury before it began its deliberations that it was a neutral term that doesnB次元官网网址檛 imply fault or blame.

The jury forewoman said the verdict was not unanimous, with four of the five members agreeing.

Ian Donaldson, a lawyer for GrayB次元官网网址檚 family, told the media the homicide finding is significant because the police position had always been that Gray died of natural causes.

Several officers told the inquest they believed Gray had been experiencing B次元官网网址渆xcited delirium,B次元官网网址� characterizing it as a life-threatening medical emergency.

B次元官网网址淔rom my perspective, the juryB次元官网网址檚 verdict puts an end to that. We know what the cause of death was,B次元官网网址� Donaldson said at the conclusion of the inquest. B次元官网网址淲e heard it from the forensic pathologist and the jury endorsed and accepted that.B次元官网网址�

Dr. Matthew Orde, the pathologist who performed the autopsy on GrayB次元官网网址檚 body, testified last week that on occasion, it had been thought B次元官网网址渟o-called excited delirium syndromeB次元官网网址� could result independently in death, but analysis of the published data suggests thatB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址渜uite unlikely.B次元官网网址�

He said B次元官网网址渁cute behavioural disturbanceB次元官网网址� is a better description for what Gray was experiencing on the day he died.

GrayB次元官网网址檚 extreme physical exertion while police struggled to restrain him was also among the B次元官网网址減erfect stormB次元官网网址� of factors that led to his death, Orde said.

He told the inquest Gray died of a cardiac arrest complicated by police actions, pointing specifically to B次元官网网址渘eck compression,B次元官网网址� blunt force injuries, the use of pepper spray, forcing Gray onto his stomach and handcuffing him behind his back.

B次元官网网址淚n the context of someone whoB次元官网网址檚 extremely fatigued, (whose) body is fully ramped up B次元官网网址� I think these issues would be enough to tip him over the edge,B次元官网网址� Orde said.

The inquest opened with testimony from Melissa Gray, who described her brother as goofy, kind and loyal.

She said Gray had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder around 1999, but heB次元官网网址檇 been stable ever since. He operated a business on the Sunshine Coast.

The initial 911 call was about an agitated man who had sprayed a woman with a garden hose.

The juryB次元官网网址檚 second recommendation for Vancouver police is to review and enhance the crisis de-escalation and containment training officers receive.

In particular, the jury suggested adding more frequent in-person and online training focused on how to make ongoing health and safety assessments and reduce risk to someone experiencing a mental health disturbance.

Several officers testified that Gray was behaving in an B次元官网网址渁nimalisticB次元官网网址� way, and he appeared not to feel pain as they hit him with their batons and knees, punched him in the face and wrestled him to the ground.

The Vancouver Police Department said in a statement it appreciates the work done by the coronerB次元官网网址檚 jury and everyone who participated in the inquest.

B次元官网网址淲e will take some time to review the recommendations before speaking further.B次元官网网址�

Before the jury returned with its verdict on Monday, the inquest heard from Shelley Horne, the Vancouver police superintendent overseeing personnel services, who said she expects there will be a pilot project by this fall to equip 80 to 100 front-line officers with body cameras for up to nine months before the results are evaluated.

The third recommendation was aimed at the Provincial Health Services Authority, suggesting the CEO review its policies on keeping toxicology samples from people whose deaths are under investigation. The inquest heard GrayB次元官网网址檚 samples were destroyed six months after his death, but they could have been used to provide greater detail about any substances that may have been in his blood.

While an initial drug screening report suggested Gray had a plant-based psychoactive compound in his system when he died, a forensic toxicologist told the inquest that followup testing revealed a concentration that didnB次元官网网址檛 meet the threshold for detection. If the drug was present in GrayB次元官网网址檚 blood, it was not at a level that would be considered toxic or lethal, toxicologist Aaron Shapiro testified.

A years-long investigation by B.C.B次元官网网址檚 police watchdog found reasonable grounds to believe an offence may have been committed and it submitted a report to the BC Prosecution Service for consideration of charges.

The service announced in late 2020 that it would not pursue charges against the officers involved in the struggle to arrest Gray, saying police were the only witnesses and the Crown couldnB次元官网网址檛 prove any offence had been committed.

However, Donaldson said the evidence presented at the inquest is different than what the pathologist had to work with in 2015, and the information the prosecution service had in 2020.

B次元官网网址淚 think thereB次元官网网址檚 a good argument that it should be looked at again,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址擝renna Owen, The Canadian Press

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