Zameer's lawyer suggests police testimony 'made up' in first-degree murder trial
A grainy security camera video is at the heart of some tense moments at the first-degree murder trial of the man accused of running down a Toronto police officer, as his defense lawyer said testimony from police officers didn’t match what it shows and suggested the officers were making their story up.
Lawyer Nader Hasan contrasted what the video shows with the story police witnesses have shared, which is that Const. Jeffrey Northrup was standing up, arms out, with a police badge in hand, when he was hit by Umar Zameer’s BMW head-on.
“His hands hit the hood. He goes up in the air. He bounces off the hood of the car. He lands forward on the floor,” testified Const. Tony Correa.
The video shows a partial view of a what appears to be Zameer’s car lurching forward, reversing, and then turning and driving towards the camera position.
Shortly afterwards, Northrup’s partner Sgt. Lisa Forbes, rushes to aid Northrup, whose body is obscured in the video by a parkade gate arm.
“We see her. We don’t see Officer Northrup at all,” Nader said in a question to Correa.
“The video is choppy,” responded Correa.
“You don’t see any of those things, sir, because this is something you have made up,” Nader pressed.
“That is what I observed that night,” Correa said.
Hasan also showed a photo of the front of Zameer’s BMW, saying there's no damage consistent with hitting a 300-pound police officer.
Umar Zameer’s BMW after Const. Jeffrey Northrup was hit by the vehicle, showing no damage, in a court exhibit. Zameer is facing a first-degree murder charge in the death of Const. Jeffrey Northrup, who was run over just after Canada Day 2021 in the underground parkade at Toronto City Hall.
Zameer has pleaded not guilty, and his lawyer has said he was spooked by plainclothes officers who he thought were trying to rob him, and took off in a panic.
The accountant by trade says he was at Nathan Phillips Square with his pregnant wife and young son for Canada Day celebrations.
In re-examination of Correa, crown attorney Michael Cantlon pointed out that the video doesn’t show the full extent of the BMW’s movement.
After Northrup was struck, Correa and his partner Scharnil Pais rushed after the BMW in an unmarked police van, which they slammed into the BMW as it waited at the exit to the parkade. Correa arrested him at gunpoint and Pais punched him in the face.
Zameer’s wife and two-year-old son were in the car and she told the officers, “We didn’t know you were cops,” Pais has testified.
Two cars in front of Zameer’s BMW fled after the takedown, smashing into the gate arms as they drove off, which was recorded by another surveillance camera video.
Two people in those cars testified in Spanish that they heard police officers yelling, “Out!” and were scared, so they drove off.
“The moment we saw the gun, we turned around and said, ‘Let’s go’,” one witness , who asked that her name not be used in media coverage, said.
One question in the trial is whether the police officers identified themselves or were identifiable as such. Both witnesses in the unrelated cars testified they did not see any police officers in the underground parking lot that night.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP wants Liberals to scrap proposed election date change that could secure pensions for many MPs
The federal New Democrats want to amend the Liberal government's electoral reform legislation to scrap the proposal to push back the vote by a week and consequently secure pensions for dozens of MPs, CTV News has learned.
Drive one of these vehicles? You may pay 37 per cent more than average insurance costs due to thefts
As the number of auto theft incidents rises in Canada, so have insurance premiums for drivers, even the ones whose vehicles aren't stolen.
Doug Ford suggests immigrants behind Jewish school shooting
Ontario Premier Doug Ford suggested immigrants are to blame for the shooting of an empty Jewish school in Toronto over the weekend, despite police saying they have little information on the suspects.
Melanie Joly 'forward-leaning' in debate on Ukraine using NATO arms inside Russia
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly is suggesting Canada would support a policy of allowing Ukraine to use NATO-provided arms inside Russia.
Fast-paced, highflying SailGP blows into Halifax for weekend competition
Ten countries, including Canada, each with teams of six sailors, are battling head-to-head on Halifax Harbour this weekend for the Canadian debut of SailGP (Grand Prix).
Donald Trump can sue niece over NY Times article, court rules
A New York state appeals court said Donald Trump can sue his niece Mary Trump for giving the New York Times information for its Pulitzer Prize-winning 2018 probe into his finances and his alleged effort to avoid taxes.
Shania Twain shares how she forgave her ex-husband's cheating: 'It's his mistake'
Shania Twain recently addressed the infidelity that rocked her marriage to Robert 'Mutt' Lange, whom she divorced in 2010 after he had an affair with her friend, Marie-Anne Thiébaud.
Supreme Court won't hear appeal in Montreal brainwashing experiments case
The Supreme Court of Canada will not review a Quebec ruling that bars people from suing the U.S. government in Canada over its role in notorious brainwashing experiments at a Montreal psychiatric hospital.
Teen pleads guilty to manslaughter in death of homeless man in downtown Toronto
One of eight teen girls charged in the death of a homeless man in downtown Toronto has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.