Man accused of killing Toronto police officer pleads not guilty to 1st-degree murder

A man accused of killing a Toronto police officer nearly three years ago has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder.

Umar Zameer entered the plea as jury selection began in his trial this morning.

Zameer is charged in the death of Const. Jeffrey Northrup.

Northrup, 55, died 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.

Another plainclothes officer was also injured.

Northrup was a 31-year veteran of the Toronto Police Service.

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.

The trial is expected to last five weeks.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 18, 2024.