Civic leaders stoked hatred of Umar Zameer after Toronto police officer's death: lawyer

After weeks of evidence in court and several tense days of jury deliberations, Umar Zameer is a free man — and his lawyer isn't mincing words about the politicians who rushed to demonize his client after he initially got bail back in 2021.

Nader Hasan was one of two lawyers who represented Zameer in court after the death of Toronto police officer Det.-Const. Jeffrey Northrup almost three years ago. 

Speaking on CBC Radio's Metro Morning on Monday, Hasan lamented the response from politicians like Ontario's premier and Toronto's former mayor who rushed to judgment before any evidence was presented at trial, as well as initial comments from the police chief on Sunday stating he wished for a different outcome in court.

Hasan said that back in 2021 when Zameer was first charged, his office was receiving hate mail, even death threats, for "having the audacity to take on this case.

"That hatred had been stoked by elected officials and by the chief of police himself," Hasan said.

James Ramer, who was chief of Toronto police at the time of Zameer's arrest, initially called Northrup's death an "intentional and deliberate act" — something the jury rejected over the weekend.

WATCH | Zameer's lawyer looks back at emotional trial: 

Umar Zameer’s lawyer: 'We knew the truth'

7 months ago

Duration 11:44

On Sunday, jurors found Umar Zameer not guilty of all criminal charges, including first-degree murder, in the death of Toronto police officer Det.-Const. Jeffrey Northrup nearly three years ago. Metro Morning host David Common spoke with Zameer's lawyer Nader Hasan about the verdict, and how officials handled the case.

In a responding statement from 2021 posted on X, formerly Twitter, Premier Doug Ford called the court's decision to grant Zameer bail "beyond comprehension.

"It's completely unacceptable that the person charged for this heinous crime is now out on bail," Ford said — though his initial statement went even further and called Zameer "the person responsible" for Northrup's death, before walking that back by deleting and reposting with the words "responsible for" swapped for "charged for."

Comments out of line, lawyer says

Former Toronto mayor John Tory, meanwhile, said it was "almost impossible to imagine a circumstance in which an accused in a case of first-degree murder would be granted bail."

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown also tweeted at the time, saying in part: "This is disgusting. It is very disturbing that the person charged for this heinous crime is now out on bail."

Hasan said Monday that those comments were ignorant, and came from people who should know better.

"The presumption of innocence is one of the pillars of our criminal justice system," he said. "And for politicians to spout off and sentence a man and condemn a man who is presumed innocent without knowing any true details of the case — it is reckless, it is irresponsible.

"Canadians deserve and expect more from their elected officials."

Michael Kempa, associate professor of criminology at the University of Ottawa, offered a similar sentiment, saying it would be a "charitable interpretation" to see this as a situation where elected officials spoke out of turn before they had all the facts.

"A more cynical interpretation would be that it is a willful manipulation ... a misrepresentation of how bail works for the public audience — in other words, politicizing this issue," Kempa said, also speaking on Metro Morning.

"We only hold people on bail if there's some reason to believe that they're a flight risk, or they pose further risk to the community."

Daniel Brown, a defence lawyer and former president of the Criminal Lawyers' Association, said the charge appeared to be a "political prosecution," with comments from civil leaders creating "a false narrative about what happened."

"The premier of Ontario was putting his thumb on the scales of justice and infecting the public's views about how they should view this man," Brown told The Canadian Press.

Andrew Kennedy, spokesperson for the attorney general, said in an email Monday afternoon that "prosecution decisions made by the Crown are made without political input."

Tory says he's learned a lesson

CBC Toronto reached out to Ford, Brown and Tory about their previous comments. Ford's office didn't respond on Monday, but when speaking with reporters Tuesday, the premier said he was working with limited information when he made his statement.

Ford also said his heart went out to Northrup's family, but he made no mention of Zameer.

"The courts have decided, the jury decided and you have to respect the justice system," Ford said.

Patrick Brown responded with a statement Monday that did not mention Zameer at all, nor the Brampton mayor's previous comments about his bail.

Tory, for his part, said in a statement Monday evening that "there are many learnings in this case.

"The first for me would be, despite pressure from the media and the public to comment on these kinds of matters, one should wait until significantly important information is available including judicial reasons," Tory said.

The former Toronto mayor also said he respects the outcome of the trial.

"The jury heard all of the evidence and found Mr. Zameer innocent. The jury was in the best position to make that decision and I completely respect it," he said.

Police chief's comments questioned

Zameer had pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder after he ran over Northrup with his car in an underground parking garage beneath Toronto City Hall on July 2, 2021. Both Northrup and his partner were in plain clothes, investigating a stabbing that night. 

After the verdict was read out Sunday, Ontario Superior Court Justice Anne Molloy addressed Zameer briefly before exiting the courtroom, telling him he was free to go and offering "my deepest apologies for what you've been through."

Outside court, however, Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw struck a different tone.

"While we respect the judicial process and appreciate the work of everyone involved in this very difficult case, I share the feelings of our members, who were hoping for a different outcome," Demkiw said.

Kempa said he understood the chief's reaction as an emotional one in the face of a tragic event for everyone involved — but he also said questioning or expressing disappointment in a jury's verdict is troublesome, and can harm public perception of police impartiality.

"I don't feel that it is the role of a chief of police or an elected person to basically say that a jury is wrong or that court erred in its legal interpretation of the situation," he said.

Hasan agreed, saying there was a lengthy trial in this case, and jurors heard the evidence and deliberated carefully.

"They determined that Mr. Zameer was not guilty because he's not guilty," he said. "It is somewhat frustrating and embarrassing that we have a chief of police who cannot accept this reality."

In a second statement issued Monday evening, Demkiw said that he respects the judicial process and accepts the jury's decision.

"Perhaps closure in a tragic event of this magnitude will come with time," he said. "As chief, I was acknowledging the emotions many of us were feeling, while struggling with the death of a fellow officer but, of course, closure can never come at the expense of justice."