'Unarmed' Myles Gray ... whew
Hearing begins for Vancouver police officers' conduct in the death of Myles Gray
Hearing to probe whether officers intentionally or recklessly used unnecessary force
A 10-week public hearing into the actions of seven Vancouver Police Department (VPD) officers related to the August 2015 death of 33-year-old Myles Gray begins Monday.
The hearing will question whether VPD Constables Kory Folkestad, Eric Birzneck, Derek Cain, Josh Wong, Beau Spencer, Hardeep Sahota and Nick Thompson abused their authority by intentionally or recklessly using unnecessary force.
Police Complaint Commissioner Prabhu Rajan announced the hearing at the end of 2024, noting Gray died after the VPD officers “used significant force to subdue and restrain him,” according to the notice of public hearing.
Gray’s injuries included ruptured testicles, a broken voice box, a fractured eye socket and widespread bruising.
The Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner (OPCC) says the hearing will be one of the largest of its kind in terms of the number of officers, lawyers, volume of evidence and length.