On July 2, 2021, Toronto police Constable Jeffrey Northrup died in what has been ruled a tragic accident and not a criminal act after being struck by the car driven by Umar Zameer. Given what I’ve read in the paper and heard on the news, it appears, at least in my opinion, that justice has been served when Umar Zameer was acquitted of all charges. Questions, however, remain.
3 Toronto Police Officers gave very similar testimony, that Constable Northrup was standing in front of the car, badge out, identifying himself as a police officer. We have learned that this testimony was not in agreement with either the forensic evidence nor the video evidence. Is it possible that in the circumstances of the moment, all 3 officers mis-remembered what happened in just the same way? I don’t know, maybe it’s possible, but it is unlikely enough that further investigation is needed. If the officers did not all mis-remember the incident in the same way, could it be possible they were colluding to give false testimony? I hope not, but I’m not going to jump to any conclusions. Instead, police need to investigate further in an effort to get some answers. What actually happened in that parking garage? If police are not interested in finding answers, there should, in my view, be an independent inquiry to try to get at the truth.
In her decision to grant bail, Judge Copeland questioned motive. From the Toronto Star: “Copeland….questioned why Zameer would want to kill a police officer, “or anyone else for that matter” and trial judge Molloy called “the absence of motive the ‘elephant in the room'”.
When bail was granted to Mr. Zameer, 3 politicians expressed their disgust. Premier Doug Ford, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown and former Toronto mayor John Tory were quick to comment without looking into Judge Copeland’s reasons for releasing Mr. Zameer. The Star reports that Ford said Mr. Zameer’s release was “beyond comprehension” and John Tory, the disgraced former Mayor, said it was “almost impossible to imagine. Mayor Brown called the decision “disgusting”. From Judge Copeland’s bail decision: “The Crown’s theory – that Mr. Zameer, who the evidence supports was out for a normal family evening with his pregnant wife and young son, who has no criminal record, who has a good work and education history, suddenly decided to intentionally kill or cause bodily harm to a police officer, runs contrary to logic and common sense”. I hope the politicians who were eager to politicize this tragic event by hammering home some kind of tough on crime type message, have learned they ought to learn the facts before speaking out.
I feel for the family of Constable Northrup and I understand their desire to seek accountability. I think more questions have to be asked. What actually happened in that parking garage? How could 3 police officers be so specifically wrong, based on the evidence? We know the officers were in plain clothes. Did they identify themselves and if they did, how? How is it Mr. Zameer and his family thought their vehicle was under attack? Why was Mr. Zameer’s vehicle targeted by police in the first place? Why is the evidence given by the 3 officers inconsistent with video and forensic evidence? Why would they lie? What actually happened?
There are no winners and losers here. Although acquitted of any crimes, Zameer and his family have to live with the horror of what happened in the City Hall parking garage. The police chief is disappointed. He released a statement he hoped for a different outcome. I heard Jon Reed, who heads up the Police union on the radio on Newstalk 1010 this morning. He was also disappointed. He was not interested in addressing the problem of the officers’ testimony, suggesting there are processes for that which have not been initiated. Officer Northrup is dead and his family is devastated. The Zameer family have to now pick up the pieces of their lives and move on. The whole business is so tremendously sad.
27th Street 