VPD officers could have de-escalated encounter ending in Myles Gray’s death: expert

By Canadian Press on March 11, 2026.

VANCOUVER — A police use-of-force expert has told a public hearing that Vancouver police officers missed opportunities to de-escalate their encounter with Myles Gray that ended with his death in 2015.

Michael Massine, a former police officer turned trainer, says that had the officers used de-escalation techniques such as trying to initiate a conversation with Gray, it “might have led the incident down a different path.”

Gray died after a violent arrest that left him with injuries, including a fractured eye socket, a crushed voice box and ruptured testicles.

Massine says the officers had chances to “break the ice” with Gray, who was described by police at a previous coroner’s inquest as “animalistic” and displaying “superhuman” strength.

He says the officers who turned up at the scene after a colleague had already taken shelter from Gray in a police car should have taken time to assess the situation, but instead there were “wheels in motion” for a forceful response.

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.

Massine says two people need to be in control in any use-of-force situation — the suspect and the officer.