Toronto police reviewing OPP investigation report into officer testimonies during Umar Zameer trial

FILE - Chief Myron Demkiw speaks to media following a not guilty verdict of Umar Zameer, in Toronto on Sunday, April 21, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

Toronto police say they have the final report of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP)’s investigation into the testimonies of officers during the 2024 trial of Umar Zameer in the death of Det. Const. Jeffrey Northrup.

In a news release on Tuesday, Toronto police said they are “currently reviewing the report and taking the necessary time to notify and brief affected individuals about the findings before they are released publicly.”

Police added that they will release the report to the public once those notifications are done.

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The independent investigation into officer testimony, conduct, procedures, practices, and training was ordered by Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw following the five-week trial, during which Superior Court Justice Anne Molloy raised concerns about the versions of events from three of the officers who testified.

Molloy told jurors that the officers’ testimonies, which were at the centre of the case against Zameer, didn’t match the video and physical evidence and advised them to watch out for possible collusion.

The OPP has said its mandate was to “thoroughly investigate to determine whether three involved Toronto Police officers committed any criminal offences.”

The jury acquitted Zameer of first-degree murder in the July 2, 2021 collision in the underground public parking lot under Nathan Phillips Square that left Northrup dead.

In addition to the OPP investigation, Toronto’s chief of police also ordered a full review of all aspects of plainclothes policing, including equipment and procedures for officers and public safety.

There have been no updates about that review.

With files from CTV News Toronto’s Jon Woodward and The Canadian Press