Judge continues instructions to jury in trial of man accused of killing Toronto cop
TORONTO — The judge presiding over the trial of a man accused of fatally running over a Toronto police officer is continuing her instructions to the jury.
Ontario Superior Court Justice Anne Molloy is explaining the relevant legal principles to jurors in the trial of Umar Zameer, including how to assess the evidence given by experts and how approach statements Zameer made to police officers at the time of his arrest.
Molloy began her instructions on Wednesday, after prosecutors and defence lawyers made their final pitches to the jury, laying out their narrative of what happened on July 2, 2021.
Zameer has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of Det. Const. Jeffrey Northrup, who died after he was hit by a vehicle in an underground parking garage at Toronto City Hall.
Prosecutors say Zameer made deliberate choices to drive dangerously while there were people nearby, killing the officer.
The defence argued Zameer did not intend to kill anyone and behaved reasonably in the face of what he thought was an imminent threat to his family as plainclothes police officers rushed up to his car and began banging on it.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 18, 2024.
The Canadian Press
