Jury selection begins in trial of man accused of killing Toronto cop

Jury selection is expected to begin Monday in the trial of a man accused of killing a Toronto police officer nearly three years ago.

Umar Zameer is charged with first-degree murder in the the death of Const. Jeffrey Northrup.

Northrup, 55, died in hospital on July 2, 2021 after being struck by a vehicle as he was responding to a report of a robbery in a parking lot at Toronto City Hall. Investigators have previously called it an “intentional and deliberate act.”

Another plainclothes officer was also injured.

Northrup, who lived in Brampton, was a 31-year veteran of the Toronto Police Service. Northrup left behind his wife, three children and mother.

Zameer was granted bail in the fall of 2021, but the reasons for the decision and evidence presented in court are covered by a standard publication ban. 

An Ontario judge has previously denied the request to partially lift the ban, saying lifting it prior to his trial “is likely to do more harm than good to the fairness and integrity of the trial process.”