BMW struck Toronto police Const. Northrup as it reversed: testimony
The BMW that killed Const. Jeffrey Northrup was reversing, not accelerating forwards, when it first hit the officer in the city hall parkade in July 2021, according to testimony from a police collision reconstructionist at the murder trial of the driver on Wednesday.
Det. Sgt. Jeff Bassingthwaite told the court that looking at marks on the pavement of the parkade, fingerprint evidence, as well as a grainy video that shows only part of the crash, he could conclude that Northrup had been hit by the driver’s side of Umar Zameer’s car as it backed up and turned.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
“As the vehicle turned, its front end gets further out than the back end of the vehicle and as a result the pedestrian, Jeff Northrup, was struck by the front left fender in the area of the wheel as the wheel was reversing and subsequently he was knocked down,” Bassingthwaite told the jury.
The opinion was at odds with previous testimony from witness officers, who had said Northrup had been hit head-on by Zameer, despite identifying himself as a police officer as he and others in plainclothes hunted for a stabbing suspect in the parkade.
Zameer’s wife Aaida Shaikh has testified that she, Zameer, and her two-year-old son were downtown for Canada Day, and saw two people they didn’t know were police officers rush towards the car. Shaikh said she thought they were being attacked or robbed in a chaotic scene, and fled.
Shaikh testified this week she never saw the car hit Northrup, though felt a bump as the car accelerated forwards. Her lawyer has said that this was no murder, just a tragic accident.
The jury also saw a three-dimensional view of the city hall parkade scene where Northrup was struck, created by a laser scan, as well as photos of evidence markers that showed the path the BMW took as it accelerated.
The grainy video, recorded at one frame per second, shows the BMW move forward, then backwards as it turns, and then accelerate forwards again. A gate arm also blocks the view of the incident.
Bassingthwaite referred to a single frame of that video that appears to show an unidentified object in front of the vehicle lying horizontally.
Photos of the BMW do not show any impact from a head-on collision but do show fingerprints on the driver's side that belong to Northrup, Bassingthwaite said.
Another three-dimensional view shows the scene where Zameer’s car was slammed into by an unmarked police vehicle, was arrested at gunpoint, and punched in the face, while another officer pulled his wife and two-year-old child out of the car.
In her testimony, Shaikh told the court she was devastated when she learned that Northrup had died and gave a statement to the officers on July 2 describing what had happened.
“Later that evening I went home to find out that the police, I’m sorry to say, they gave in the news, the complete opposite of what I had told him. They said we knew who the man and the lady were. They said that Umar intentionally murdered the police officer. I found that out on the news and I have never felt so betrayed,” she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Couple randomly attacked, 1 stabbed, by group of teens in Toronto, police say
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
Ron Ellis, who played over 1,000 games with Maple Leafs, dead at 79
Ron Ellis, who played over 1,000 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs and was a member of Canada's team at the 1972 Summit Series, has died at age 79.
Fort Nelson, B.C., wildfire doubles in size as 3,000-plus ordered to evacuate
The wildfire that sparked Friday and caused evacuation orders for more than 3,000 people in Fort Nelson, B.C., and the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has grown to nearly 1,700 hectares in size, according to a Saturday morning update from the BC Wildfire Service.
Dutch contestant kicked out of Eurovision hours before tension-plagued song contest final
Hours before the final, Dutch contestant Joost Klein was dramatically booted out by organizers over a backstage incident. He had failed to perform at two dress rehearsals on Friday, and contest organizer the European Broadcasting Union said it was investigating an "incident."
IN PICTURES Northern lights dance across the night sky in southern Ont.
From London, to Grand Bend, Collingwood and Guelph, here are some highlights of Friday night and Saturday morning's northern lights display.
Haitians demand the resignation and arrest of the country's police chief after a new gang attack
A growing number of civilians and police officers are demanding the dismissal and arrest of Haiti's police chief as heavily armed gangs launched a new attack in the capital of Port-au-Prince, seizing control of yet another police station early Saturday.
opinion How to use your credit card as a powerful wealth-building tool
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'I am angry': Alberta farmers will continue fight over world class motorsport resort
The rolling hills leading to the hamlet of Rosebud are dotted with sprawling farms and cattle pastures -- and a sign sporting a simple message: No Race Track.