By The Canadian Press

Officer says Myles Gray was restrained face-down for several minutes before death

Mar 2, 2026 | 3:41 PM

VANCOUVER — A Vancouver police officer has testified at a public hearing into the 2015 police-involved death of Myles Gray that Gray was handcuffed and hobbled, and struggled while being restrained face down by officers for several minutes before his body went limp.

The testimony by Const. John Gravengard is in contrast to that of another officer who told the hearing last week that Gray was in the recovery position then put himself face down for about 10 seconds before he stopped breathing.

Gravengard says that he arrived at the scene to find three other officers trying to restrain Gray, and he assisted by putting his right knee on Gray’s hamstring and left knee on his calf as the other officers held his arms and the hobble restraining his feet.

He says Gray struggled for about six or seven minutes in that position, thrusting his hips and doing “hamstring curls” while spitting and yelling before going limp.

Gravengard says he does not recall any officer suggesting they put Gray in a recovery position until that point.

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The inquiry by the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner, is looking into the actions of seven Vancouver police officers involved in the violent encounter, who were all cleared of misconduct in 2024 by a police discipline authority.

Gravengard is not among the officers under investigation.

His accounts contrasts with testimony of Const. Chris Bowater, who told the hearing last week that Gray had been in a recovery position when he made a “fast twist” out of Const. Beau Spencer’s grip and “put himself face down into the grass” for “approximately 10 seconds” before he was rolled back over and appeared to stop breathing.

Bowater, a former paramedic who also is not under investigation, testified that Gray was then uncuffed and rolled onto his back so he could begin chest compressions.

A coroner’s inquest in 2023 heard that Gray was left with injuries including a fractured eye socket, a crushed voice box and ruptured testicles.

The coroner’s jury ruled the death was a homicide. Coroner’s inquests do not find criminal fault and a finding of homicide means death due to injury intentionally inflicted by another person.

Police had been originally called to a complaint of a man who sprayed a woman with water from a garden hose.

Police at the coroner’s inquest had testified that Gray exhibited “superhuman strength” and was behaving in an “animalistic” way, and he didn’t appear to feel pain as they hit him with their batons and knees, punched him in the face and wrestled him to the ground.

Gravengard made similar statements to the Independent Investigations Office after the 2015 incident, which were read out to the hearing on Monday. His statement at the time said that Gray appeared to have “superhuman strength.”

“That’s what we learn as an individual who is on cocaine, psychosis, or excited delirium is that they are — they have the potential to be stronger than they really are,” he said in the statement, which was read out to the hearing on Monday.

Gravengard also told the hearing Monday that he was not aware Gray had been previously unconscious when he arrived at the scene.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 2, 2026.

Brieanna Charlebois, The Canadian Press