Spencer is among seven Vancouver officers facing a public hearing set off by B.C.'s Police Complaint Commissioner into whether they committed misconduct during the confrontation.
He says in his second day of testimony that he and his partner were "quite anxious" to get to the scene, as radio calls from there "continued to escalate."
He says another call came in when three officers were on the scene, and it did not sound like the person they were dealing with was "under control" and this was "very concerning."
No charges have been laid over Gray's death, which a 2023 coroner's inquest ruled was a homicide, a term that does not assign legal blame.
The commissioner's notice of public hearing said an earlier disciplinary process had dismissed misconduct allegations, but the discipline authority found the process "strangely lopsided" and had to decide the case despite "discrepancies and inconsistencies in statements made by (Vancouver Police Department) members."
The earlier inquest heard Gray was left with injuries that included a fractured eye socket, crushed voice box and ruptured testicles, while a paramedic said Gray's bruising was so severe, he initially thought Gray was not a white man.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
