The parents of 33 year old Myles Gray say they just want answers, six months after their son's mysterious death in a Burnaby backyard—and to try to get them, they're suing the Vancouver Police force and 11 of its officers.


Margie and Mark Gray of Sechelt allege seven of those officers, identified only as "John Does", wrongfully killed their son by beating him to death, using "grossly excessive force" and "inflicting massive physical trauma … with no valid, lawful reason".

The police takedown occurred on the afternoon of August 13, when officers responded to a call about a disturbance in the 3600 block of South East Marine Drive.

Myles Gray, who worked as a greenery supplier to local florist wholesalers, got into an argument with a woman who was watering her garden during drought restrictions.

"Why was he killed off, just hunted down like a dog, killed like a dog, worse than a dog?" asked tearful father Mark Gray. (Mark and Margie Gray)

Vancouver police officers chased Gray across a Boundary Road overpass into Burnaby, before using "chemical agents" and then "physical force" to restrain him. Gray was pronounced dead a short time later.

The lawsuit, filed in BC Supreme court, states Gray was "alone, unarmed, dressed in shorts and not engaged in any criminal activity during his interactions with the seven officers."

In an exclusive interview with CBC News, the dead man's mother, Margie Gray, 52, fought back tears. She said her son's injuries were so severe, the funeral home advised against an open-casket funeral.

"Why was he killed off, just hunted down like a dog, killed like a dog, worse than a dog? Just beat down by seven police."

"I want answers. I want to know what happened that day," said Margie, "It's the worst. It is horrific. And to know this went down at the hands of people you're supposed to trust."

Mark Gray, 58, said the loss of his son has been devastating.

"[I feel] traumatized. Every day I wake up, and it's the same horrible nightmare over and over and over again," said Margie Gray, whose son died after an altercation with police. (CBC)

"I just miss my son, my best friend. I've only got one son," he said. "(I) just feel like somebody punched a hole right through me and it's never going to fill up. It's a horrible thing. He was a good man."

'Police ... impeded the investigation'

The lawsuit also alleges, "the police unlawfully impeded the investigation … by the Independent Investigations Office" — the province's police watchdog agency that reviews police-involved deaths — "by failing to immediately notify the IIO of the killing."

The couple allege that during the delay, "officers failed to preserve evidence" and "conferred among themselves."


The Grays, along with Myle Gray's evergreen supply company, Graystone Enterprises Ltd, also name the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Police Board in the lawsuit, blaming the board for "failing properly and effectively to educate, train and supervise the officers to appropriate professional standards."

They're seeking unspecified damages.


None of the allegations has been proven in court, and the Vancouver Police Department, Police Board and City of Vancouver have yet to file a response.

Contacted by CBC News, Vancouver Police said, "It wouldn't be appropriate for the VPD to comment on an ongoing IIO investigation or a pending civil process."

Margie Gray says she has been told her son died within minutes of his encounter with Vancouver officers.

"This is 'comply or die' policing. Like, what was the rush to move in and kill him?" she asks.

Mark Gray adds "You know, they could have let him calm down …. like a person's life is worth more than a (few) minutes, right?"

Violent physical takedown

The case dates back to the hot summer afternoon of August 13th last year. As a supplier of greenery to florists, Myles Gray was on his regular run to flower wholesalers clustered around Boundary Road and Marine Drive in Burnaby.

Around 2 p.m., he wandered away from a loading bay and crossed a small overpass above Boundary Road, ending up nearby in the 36 hundred block of South East Marine Drive in Vancouver.

There, a neighbour tells CBC News, Gray got into an argument with a woman who was watering her garden during drought restrictions.

The woman's son stepped in and called 911.

In a news release issued at the time, Vancouver police say they responded to a call of a distraught man causing a disturbance.

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