Northrup not hit head-on, expert says
Toronto police collision reconstruction expert contradicts testimony from three officers on scene
A Toronto police collision reconstruction expert — a witness for the prosecution — has contradicted three police witnesses who testified Const. Jeffrey Northrup was standing directly in front of Umar Zameer’s BMW when he ran the officer over in the underground parking lot at Nathan Phillips Square.
Zameer, 34, is on trial for firstdegree murder and has pleaded not guilty. He is expected to testify that what occurred early July 2, 2021, was a tragic accident, not a crime. His wife, Aaida Shaikh, 34, testified Tuesday they were trying to flee a scary situation after mistaking Northrup and his partner, Lisa Forbes, for robbers when the officers approached their vehicle wearing plainclothes.
Previously, Forbes and two other officers present in the parking garage that night have told court they identified themselves as police and their 55-year-old colleague was on his feet in front of the BMW when Zameer hit the gas, running over him head-on.
On Wednesday, Sgt. Jeff Bassingthwaite testified Zameer’s BMW was reversing when it struck Northrup, knocking him to the ground.
After an interaction between the officers and the occupants of the car, which occurred outside of camera view, Bassingthwaite said choppy, low-quality surveillance video shows a pedestrian — Northrup — moving from the driver’s side around the back of the car to the passenger side, as the BMW first moved forward from a parked position.
After that, the BMW reversed, and when it did, it “off tracked,” meaning the front wheels didn’t follow in line with the back wheels, Bassingthwaite said.
“So, as the vehicle turned, the front end of the vehicle was further out than the back end of the vehicle and, as a result, the pedestrian, Jeff Northrup, was struck by the front, left fender, in the area of the wheel, while the vehicle was reversing out,” he said.
As the vehicle then accelerated forward, Northrup “tumbled” underneath it for about seven metres before becoming dislodged.
Court has heard Zameer continued driving toward the parking garage’s exit until his vehicle was rammed by a police vehicle and he was arrested at gunpoint.
Bassingthwaite explained his conclusions were based on a visit to the scene, an analysis of forensic reports, the officers’ summaries and physical evidence, such as acceleration marks and scuffs on the asphalt.
Also key to his analysis was the low-resolution, slow-framerate security video that captured some of what happened. That video shows the car’s headlights rising and lowering as the car moves forward.
“If you’re looking at this externally, yes, it would appear that you’re going over a speed bump. In this case, though, there’s no speed bumps in that area,” Bassingthwaite said.
Shaikh testified Tuesday she felt the BMW was travelling over a speed bump as they fled.
Crown attorney Michael Cantlon asked Bassingthwaite if the collision was avoidable.
“In our world, there are very, very few collisions that are completely unavoidable,” he responded.
Bassingthwaite has been working for Toronto police since 1998. He joined the collision reconstruction unit in 2004 and left two years ago after he was promoted to duty inspector.
Defence lawyer Nader Hasan began his cross-examination Wednesday afternoon and will resume Thursday.
Central to the trial is if Zameer realized the plainclothes officers were police when they approached his vehicle, and whether he struck Northrup intentionally.
Ultimately, the jury must determine whether Zameer’s actions constitute murder, or if the death of the veteran officer was a tragic accident driven by fear and misunderstanding.
The Criminal Code says that any murder of an on-duty police officer is considered first-degree murder, regardless of whether it was planned and deliberate.