Myles Gray had injected testosterone, doctor tells hearing

A family doctor told a public hearing that Myles Gray had been injecting unprescribed testosterone and that his death after a 2015 police encounter was later classified as a homicide.

A public hearing into the 2015 police encounter that left Myles Gray dead heard testimony that he had been injecting unprescribed testosterone. Dr. Christoffel Mentz-Serfontein, Gray's family doctor, said the hormone came from the "black market" and had raised Gray's red blood cell count. Mentz-Serfontein said Gray had bipolar disorder but that he had not shown violent behaviour in the doctor's interactions. The hearing was called by the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner of B.C. after a discipline authority cleared seven officers of misconduct in 2024. Key details: - The doctor testified that Gray had been injecting unprescribed "black market" testosterone and that it had led to an elevated red blood cell count. - Mentz-Serfontein told the hearing that testosterone can destabilize mood in people with bipolar disorder and may increase aggression during manic episodes. - Police previously told a coroner's inquest that officers encountered resistance during the August 2015 arrest and described the subject's behaviour in strong terms. - A coroner's jury later classified Gray's death as a homicide; seven officers involved have denied misconduct and were cleared by a discipline authority in 2024. Summary: The testimony linked unprescribed testosterone use and Gray's bipolar diagnosis to possible medical and behavioural effects, while prior investigations reached differing findings about officer conduct. Undetermined at this time.