As the high-profile trial of Umar Zameer unfolded, prosecutors battled with the judge behind the scenes on what exactly they could tell jurors about what happened in the parking lot below Nathan Phillips Square when the 34-year-old accountant ran over the veteran Toronto police officer early July 2, 2021.
In turbulent discussions over the four-week trial, mostly when jurors were absent from the courtroom, Superior Court Justice Anne Molloy repeatedly pushed prosecutors to explain how they planned to prove Zameer knew Const. Jeffrey Northrup was a police officer and intended to kill him by deliberately running him over head-on.
Umar Zameer leaves the courthouse at 361 University Ave. in Toronto on April 11.
The hood of Umar Zameer’s BMW. The defence argued there is no physical evidence — such as a dent — to support the claim Zameer drove directly at the tall, 300-pound officer.
Toronto police officer Const. Jeffrey Northrup, left, his partner Const. Lisa Forbes, centre, and Const. Antonio Correa, right, are seen in plainclothes on the night Northrup was run over by Umar Zameer, kneeling.