Premier Doug Ford says an Ontario judge who accused three Toronto cops of lying under oath owes them an apology after a report from the OPP cleared the officers of any wrongdoing.
“Maybe the judge should apologize for accusing them of everything under the sun. That’s a first step,” Ford said at an unrelated news conference on Wednesday.
The OPP released its report Tuesday on the 2024 testimony delivered by Det. Const. Lisa Forbes, Det. Const. Scharnil Pais, and Det. Const. Antonio Correa, about the night Det. Const. Jeffrey Northrup was struck and killed in the parking garage below Toronto City Hall in 2021.
All three had claimed that Northrup, a 31-year-old veteran of the force, had his hands up and was standing in front of the vehicle driven by the defendant, Umar Zameer, when he was hit. Zameer was charged with first-degree murder.
However, evidence presented in court and expert witness testimony, one of whom was a TPS reconstructionist, contradicted those claims and determined that Zameer’s car made “glancing contact” with Northrup as he was reversing, causing him to fall before he was run over.
“When three versions of the event are wrong, and wrong in the same way, you must also consider whether there has been collusion between those witnesses,” Ontario Superior Court Justice Anne Molloy told the jury before they began their deliberations.
Zameer was acquitted.
Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw ordered the OPP probe in the wake of Molloy’s accusations. The provincial police conducted their own investigation, which cast doubt on the expert testimony in the trial and determined that Northrup was likely standing in front of Zameer’s vehicle when he was hit. It also found that there was insufficient evidence to suggest that the officers colluded to lie.
The OPP’s conclusions have not been tested in court.
Toronto Police Association President Clayton Campbell was the first to call for an apology from Molloy after the report was released.
“I clearly say to Justice Malloy: you were wrong…. I would strongly recommend that Scharnil, Tony, Lisa and especially Margaret (Norhtup’s wife) receive a public apology from you,” he said at Tuesday news conference.
Zameer’s lawyer, Nader Hasan, reacted to the OPP investigation, saying it was “not a serious report.” He said that neither he, nor his client, knew the probe was underway until last week, by which time the report had already been submitted to Toronto police, and took issue with the fact that one police force was investigating another.
Ford threw water on that notion on Tuesday.
“I think there’s no police service in the country that’s more credible than the OPP. They’re going to be transparent,” he said at the time.
Ford continued his praise for the OPP on Wednesday.
“I love our OPP, because folks, they put their lives on the line every single day. When you need help. Who do you call? You call 911 for the police, and they show up,” he said.
The report points out that Molloy’s conclusions were limited to the evidence presented during the trial.
“Judicial findings are based on the scope of testimony, exhibits and arguments introduced in court, and do not account for investigative materials or forensic analyses that were not before the court. As such, these conclusions reflect the constraints of the trial record rather than the full breadth of available evidence,” the report noted.
Chow mum on apology request, calls ‘entire episode’ a tragedy
Mayor Olivia Chow was asked if she agreed with Ford and Campbell’s request for an apology from Molloy, but declined to comment, saying that once a judge has made their decision they “move on.”
“Look, this entire episode has been tragic and painful for the families, for the officers, for the communities, and I do hope that everyone can move forward,” she said at an unrelated news conference.
Pressed on whether she agreed with Demkiw’s assertion that the report was a “vindication” that “exonerated” the officers, Chow said only: “I do believe in the justice system and the Canadian courts. And I thank the OPP for the report, and I hope all parties can move forward after this tragic incident. It’s traumatic to everyone.”
Demkiw, who spoke alongside Chow, was asked about the Toronto Police Service collision reconstructionist’s testimony at the 2024 trial, and said the force is working to “re-envision” how it carries out traffic reconstruction.
“That includes investing in technology to analyze the vehicle data, reconstruction technology, 3D imaging, drone technology, as well as accreditation, apprenticeship, supervision and oversight of the program. So that has all very much been changing over time and continues to evolve.”
CTV News Toronto has reached out to Justice Molloy for comment.
With files from Bryann Aguilar
