Defence lawyers say the death of a Toronto police officer who was crushed by a car was not a murder but a tragic accident caused by a misunderstanding.
In his opening statement to the jury, defence lawyer Nader Hasan says Umar Zameer didn’t know Const. Jeffrey Northrup and his partner, who were in plainclothes, were police officers.
He says Zameer and his wife thought they were being ambushed by criminals when the officers rushed towards them in an underground parking lot late at night.
Hasan says the couple feared for their lives and Zameer tried to escape, not realizing Northrup had been knocked to the ground in the path of his car.
Prosecutors, meanwhile, told jurors Zameer chose to make a series of manoeuvres with his car while plainclothes police officers were close by, hitting Northrup and crushing the officer’s body under the vehicle.
Crown attorney Michael Cantlon told jurors the case is not about who struck Northrup or what caused the officer’s death, but rather the choices made by Zameer that night and whether he knew Northrup was a police officer carrying out his duties.
Prosecutors allege the officers identified themselves as police as they approached Zameer.
Zameer has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in Northrup’s death.
Northrup, 55, died on July 2, 2021, after being struck by a vehicle as he was responding to a report of a stabbing in the area of Toronto City Hall. He was a 31-year veteran of the Toronto police force.
Later today, jurors are set to begin hearing testimony from witnesses called by the prosecution.
The trial is expected to last until mid-April.