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Charges should be considered in B.C. man’s police-involved death, watchdog says

Myles Gray died in August 2015 in Burnaby
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B.C.’s police watchdog says charges should be considered in the police-involved death of a Sechelt businessman.

Myles Gray, 33, died in August 2015 in the 8300-block of Joffre Avenue of Burnaby.

The Independent Investigations Office said Wednesday it would send its report on Gray’s death to the B.C. Prosecution Service, saying the investigation took so long because of a “difference of opinion with a witness officer regarding the extent of their duty to cooperate under the Police Act,” as well as the need for more forensic pathology resources.

For charges to be approved, Crown counsel must be satisfied there is a substantial likelihood of conviction based on the evidence gathered by the IIO and that prosecution is in the public interest.

No details were provided on the number of people involved in the charges, or the number of charges that should be considered.

According to a statement filed by the Vancouver Police Department shortly after the incident, officers were responding to a complaint of a man causing a disturbance at the home on Joffre Avenue, on the Vancouver-Burnaby border. Reports indicate the man was spraying a woman with a hose.

Police said they found Gray in the backyard , and tried to take him into custody. However, the situation became “significantly physical,” police said at the time.

Gray died at the scene.

According to a Facebook page called Justice for Myles Gray, IIO investigators told Gray’s family of its report Tuesday.

“It is my hope as well as Myles family and friends that this horrific crime against Myles leads to charges against the VPD officers that took his life,” the organizer of the page said, calling the wait a “hellish 3 years, 5 months and 2 days.”

In an email to Black Press Media, VPD Sgt. Jason Robillard said it would be inappropriate to comment on an investigation under review by Crown counsel.


@ashwadhwani
ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.ca

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About the Author: Ashley Wadhwani-Smith

I began my journalistic journey at Black Press Media as a community reporter in my hometown of Maple Ridge, B.C.
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