Toronto police chief apologizes, board chair asks that 'cooler heads prevail' after Zameer acquittal
Toronto’s police chief is apologizing for comments he made in the wake of a not guilty verdict in the death of a police officer, while the city’s police service board chair called for cooler heads to prevail as the service wrestles with the fallout of the case.
Chief Myron Demkiw said he regrets wishing for a different outcome in the case against Umar Zameer outside the courthouse earlier this month.
“As you know, it’s been a particularly difficult week for our service and our members, and also there have been some painful public conversations,” Demkiw said.
“I fully understand the concerns that have been expressed, and I’ve been reflecting on my comments as the chief of police. I apologize for my first words in the moments outside the courthouse.
“I want to be very clear that I accept and respect the decision of the jury. As I’ve said over and over, closure can never come at the expense of justice,” he said.
Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw attends a press conference in Toronto on Monday, May 1, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston
The comments from the leadership came in the first Toronto Police Services Board meeting after Umar Zameer was acquitted of first-degree murder in the 2021 death of Det. Const. Jeffrey Northrup, in a hearing where the judge highlighted to the jury potential collusion among witness officers whose testimony didn’t match physical evidence.
But those comments are a sign the police leadership hasn’t taken seriously how damaging the conduct in the Zameer case is to the reputation of the police service, said Rahim Shakir of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.
“It’s important that both the board and the board chair play a public and visible role in responding to a crisis of public trust in this nature,” Shakir said in an interview.
“Cooler heads prevailing means that instead of reflexively defending a chief of police, an oversight body would say they see and hear the public’s concerns and should respond,” Shakir said.
Zameer’s laywer had pointed out at court that Zameer was visiting downtown Toronto for Canada Day with his pregnant wife and child when Northrup was run over by his BMW. He thought he was being attacked and drove off, without realizing Northrup and his partner were plainclothes police officers or realizing that he had run over Northrup.
Even though Zameer’s wife had given a statement to the police in the early morning following the crash, none of that information was relayed by then police chief James Ramer, who told media that Zameer was accused of an “intentional and deliberate act.”
Appearing virtually at the meeting, board chair Ann Morgan said she supports the reviews proposed by Demkiw, one on the investigation itself by the OPP, and another on plainclothes policies, and called Northrup’s death a “terrible tragedy.”
“I want to add that in the last short while there have been many charged and emotional views on this matter. I am asking our community to let cooler heads prevail,” she said.
Umar Zameer and his lawyers walk away from the courthouse following his not guilty verdict, in Toronto, Sunday, April 21, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Blaine Higgs 'furious' over sexual education presentation
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has shared his anger on social media over a presentation in at least four high schools.
This type of screen time has the worst effect on kids: experts
According to some experts, there is one type of screen time that is continuously excessive, and it's having a severe effect on our children.
Grayson Murray's parents say the two-time PGA Tour winner died of suicide
Grayson Murray's parents said Sunday their 30-year-old son took his own life, just one day after he withdrew from a PGA Tour event.
Some birds may use 'mental time travel,' study finds
Real quick — what did you have for lunch yesterday? Were you with anyone? Where were you? Can you picture the scene? The ability to remember things that happened to you in the past, especially to go back and recall little incidental details, is a hallmark of what psychologists call episodic memory — and new research indicates that it’s an ability humans may share with birds called Eurasian jays.
Trump confronts repeated boos during raucous Libertarian convention speech
Donald Trump was booed repeatedly while addressing Saturday night’s Libertarian Party National Convention.
Driver, 18, gets $3,000 ticket, 32 demerit points after speeding on Laval boulevard
A young driver received a hefty fine from Laval police after they say he was driving nearly 100 km/h over the posted speed limit.
Indianapolis 500 delayed as strong storm forces fans to evacuate Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The start of the Indianapolis 500 was delayed as a strong storm pushed through the area Sunday, forcing Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials to evacuate about 125,000 fans who had already arrived for "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."
Hamas rocket attack from Gaza sets off air raid sirens in Tel Aviv for the first time in months
Hamas fired a barrage of rockets from Gaza that set off air raid sirens as far away as Tel Aviv for the first time in months on Sunday in a show of resilience more than seven months into Israel's massive air, sea and ground offensive.
At least 13 dead in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas after severe weather roars across region
Powerful storms killed at least 13 people and left a wide trail of destruction Sunday across Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas after obliterating homes and destroying a truck stop where dozens sought shelter in a restroom during the latest deadly weather to strike the central U.S.