A paramedic at a public inquiry into Myles Gray’s 2015 death describes significant challenges in treating the 33-year-old Sechelt man, who suffered cardiac arrest after a confrontation with Vancouver police officers.
Paramedic’s Account of Scene and Injuries
Stephen Shipman, an advanced life support paramedic, arrived at the Burnaby backyard in August 2015 to find primary care paramedics performing CPR on Gray. The man lay on his back with bruises across parts of his body and an IV line already in place.
Shipman and his partner assumed resuscitation duties but encountered unusual difficulty intubating Gray due to substantial swelling in his airway. An officer informed him that police had deployed batons and a lateral neck restraint during the arrest attempt—a technique Shipman likened to a rear naked choke from his judo experience, though he emphasized he lacks expertise in police tactics.
Shipman’s report notes bruising on Gray’s head and neck, blood in his oral cavity, absence of neural function, and elongated baton marks. No obvious trauma appeared on the abdomen or back. Resuscitation efforts, including medications and heart pacing, ceased at 4:21 p.m.
When questioned about the restraint’s impact, Shipman acknowledged that knowing Gray resisted for roughly 10 minutes could factor into assessing swelling, as some develops immediately while other takes time.
Shipman corroborated earlier testimony from paramedic Scott McEwen, who described Gray’s neck injuries as consistent with a hanging—though such trauma manifests differently externally. McEwen noted CPR lasted 30 to 40 minutes with similar intubation issues.
Officer Testifies on Arrival
Const. Gordon Stokes, responding via police radio, arrived to see two injured officers. He ascended to the lawn where handcuffed Gray lay on his side in the recovery position, breathing steadily. Stokes directed arriving advanced life support paramedics to the scene.
Investigation Context
The Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner’s hearing examines the conduct of seven Vancouver police officers involved that day. All were cleared of misconduct by a discipline authority in 2024.
A 2023 coroner’s inquest detailed Gray’s injuries: fractured eye socket, crushed voice box, and ruptured testicles. The jury classified the death as homicide, indicating injury intentionally inflicted by another person. Police responded initially to reports of a man spraying a woman with a garden hose.
