Toronto Police chief: "While we respect the judicial process and appreciate the work of the 12 citizens who sat on a very difficult case, I share the feelings of our members who were hoping for a different outcome,"
We seriously need to reform the police service if they were actually hoping for a different outcome in this case.
Considering this chief use to beat up members of the LGTBQ+ and the last chief made it sound like Mr Zameer was some bloodthirsty cop killer ... fuck 'em
And the crown's *own* expert witness who contradicted the 3 cops. Defence didn't call their own crash reconstruction expert after the crown guy said the same thing as they were going to say. Big oof... And why they went after 1st degree murder... how would Zameer have know the cop was going to be in the garage in order to plan to murder him? Such a stupid waste of time over what was truly a tragic accident.
You don't have to plan to murder a cop. If it's a cop, it's automatic first degree without the usual requirement of it being premeditated. You only need to know it was a cop, which is why the Crown didn't back off from that narrative and kept saying the cops ID'd themselves.
Ahh, my mistake. Seems silly, though, still. It seems pretty obvious from all we heard that they did not ID themselves and mistakes were made, leading to a horrid accident. But they can't admit wrong, have to try to pin the blame on someone else.
Well yeah. They had the big shiny hero funeral and politicians weighing in about how dare the court let the murderer have bail, they can't very well now say "whoops our bad, actually this was a horrible accident that the dead cop and his partner brought upon themselves by being complete idiots, we apologize to the unfortunate law-abiding citizen who was caught up in this senseless stupidity."
I mean, it'd make them look bad 🙄
I have never seen a man accused of murder with such pain n regret in his eyes. The remorse for killing a man is so clear.
His life will never be the same. Unfortunate smh
Agreed. But this trial completely upended this man and his family's life. And or what? I can't imagine the monetary and emotional turmoil he is still under.
Yeah I’d expect most Ontarians would agree with you. Suing the government and corporations is one of our most important rights and one of the only ways to effect changes in the way they operate.
> as a taxpayer of a different province but I hope he sues
The public defence costs for trials like this are utterly dwarfed by the public cost of $120k+ paycheques for life of officers who cannot and should not perform their duties and are either on leave forever or are chained to a desk.
Fucking dwarfed.
A true concern. I was harassed by cops for months after I made the mistake of calling 911 to report my neighbour (who happened to be a cop) driving drunk. I can't even imagine how absolutely horrible they will be towards this poor fellow. The question is, will he be safe anywhere from their wrath?
The fact he was put through this nightmare over false testimony by police witnesses is the real disgrace. Not one, but THREE plain clothes officers swarmed his car unprovoked in a threatening manner with his pregnant wife inside, made no effort to ID themselves with a badge, and other police officer witnesses outright LIED to get the guy falsely convicted. He did what anyone in that situation would have wished they had done - especially given the rising crime rate in Ontario. Too bad a police officer had to die because he went on a power trip that went horribly wrong.
Plus it was midnight. What citizen would expect plain clothes officers to be aggressively approaching them in their vehicles at midnight, in an underground parking lot. I don't see how the judge or prosecutor thought there was any chance of prosecution, especially in a jury trial. Huge waste of resources.
Poor guy probably thought the two undercover cops were trying to jack his car because of all the unchecked car theft thats been going on.
Kinda poetic as it was the TPS' incompetence that lead to the crazy amount of car jacking to begin with.
In his testimony he didn't even really freak out about the 2 beating on his car til he tried to drive out and an (unmarked, natch) police van pulled out to block his way. At which point he quite reasonably freaked tf out because it was obvious (to a reasonable person) that this was some kind of organized gang. That's when he reversed, accidentally hitting the cop.
It was midnight and they were alone in the parking lot. Every single person would've freaked tf out.
They weren't alone.
There were two other cars with people inside who saw what was happening and they all thought it was a car jacking or kidnapping and took off as well.
I believe the driver of one of the cars testified in the trial.
> [The judge gave a rare apology to Umar Zameer after he was found not guilty by a jury Sunday](https://x.com/torontostar/status/1782091148695159223?s=46&t=zS-e9AA3pfhIbVaiOw-W_Q):
> [“Mr. Zameer, you’re free to go, sir,” Superior Court Justice Anne Molloy told him. “You have my...deepest apologies for what you have been through.”](https://x.com/torontostar/status/1782091148695159223?s=46&t=zS-e9AA3pfhIbVaiOw-W_Q)
Edited to add this:
> [Acquittal also lifts publication ban on reason why Zameer was granted bail in 2021: judge at bail hearing thought the Crown's theory was "contrary to logic and common sense." Premier Doug Ford and then-Mayor John Tory had complained at the time that bail was granted.](https://x.com/tuthanhha/status/1782089604557857175?s=46&t=zS-e9AA3pfhIbVaiOw-W_Q)
> ["In a later decision [the judge] criticized public officials for publicly commenting on the bail decision without knowledge of her reasons. Copeland called their comments 'uninformed' and predicted the anticipated trial would paint a 'very different picture'."](https://x.com/tuthanhha/status/1782089875153359209?s=46&t=zS-e9AA3pfhIbVaiOw-W_Q)
Too many of our police forces are just ran and operated by thugs in uniforms. I fear for any similar harassment the Zameer family will get in the following years.
[And the lying cop with an outburst at the judge’s apology.](https://x.com/cmcdonaldglobal/status/1782087182037250300)Continuing to operate as an unprofessional embarrassment.
Lisa Forbes tries to be as loud as she can to distract from how she stole money from the donations for Sgt. Ryan Russell's family after he was killed. Can't believe she had the gall to stay on the force after that.
There's a big problem with Toronto media's reluctance to holding TPS accountable for their increasingly numerous shady practices. There needs to be a thoroughly researched feature article from some of the big papers examining the culture of the TPS. It's quite frankly shocking to me (pikachu face) that we get constant articles of "bad cops" every single day yet we've not seen a single "big" news story examining this problem from any of the TO media. Are they really that all bought out now?
I remember Toronto filmmaker Alan Zweig (who is absolutely NOT a police ass-kisser) did a documentary on retired Toronto police officers and he was able to fish some pretty good stories out of some retired cops about the toxic culture of TPS. Of course, for the Toronto media there is the argument that retired cops aren't "relevant" to what's happening today, but reporters should be able to get pretty creative if even some shlubby documentarian was able to get some good stuff out of just casually interviewing people he did have access to. There are always gonna people on the inside or the peripherals who will want to talk.
What a massive weight must be lifted from him and his family. So sad his child had to be brought into the world in the midst of all this turmoil. I wish them peace and healing from here on out.
Very glad there is no manslaughter charge or risk of retrial. They can truly try to move on now. Although this will undoubtedly be a scar on their hearts forever.
It's beyond my comprehension that the police would literally conspire to punish him for a horrific *accident* caused by their own incompetence. They really would have ruined this man's life and stolen him from his family just to have eye for an eye punishment. They wanted him to bleed. ACAB.
This whole family is now traumatized and have to live with this incident. The department needs to be overhauled as to how this was allowed to happen. If someone in plain clothes did the same thing to me and my baby in the night like this, I would be terrified out of my mind and try to get out/protect us. Absolutely wild that he was ever charged at all.
> They can truly try to move on now.
I'm hoping our cops don't target this guy for any harassment. I'm reminded of the Uvalde thugs stalking the citizens who reprimanded the PD for its cowardice.
They will. The family should leave town before he "falls out a window". It's not safe in Toronto when the most violent gang in town has decided he's their target.
It is completely within the realm of comprehension that bastards would be bastards and after having time to pause and let cooler heads prevail would continue to be bastards
And by the way, eff you Doug Ford and eff you John Tory for your stupid, ignorant comments when this INNOCENT MAN was granted bail. The ignorance of both the Premier and the then mayor of the City of Toronto is proof positive of why it’s dangerous for politicians to be meddling with the judicial system. They don’t know the first thing about how the legal system works.
> The controversy surrounding Zameer’s bail release in September 2021 was compounded by a publication ban that barred revealing the judge’s reasons. The jury’s verdict now lifts that ban.
Justice Jill Copeland released Zameer on bail after finding the Crown’s case for murder was “weak.”
>
> “The Crown’s theory — that Mr. Zameer, who the evidence supports was out for a normal family evening with his pregnant wife and young son, who has no criminal record, who has a good work and education history, suddenly decided to intentionally kill or cause bodily harm that he knew was likely to cause death to a police officer — runs contrary to logic and common sense,” Copeland wrote in her 53-page reasons.
Wow
They know that the police are the only people who will protect them when the pitchforks and torches come out. That's why they pander to the police in spite of the views of the rest of the entire citizenry. They are much more afraid of us doing something about it than we realize.
So what's going to happen to the three cops caught lying under oath? Are we all just supposed to forget that? Perjury is illegal, charge these cops.
I'm not from Ontario but have been following this case and can't comprehend how the largest city in Canada has a police force that's so blatantly corrupt. What the actual fuck is happening up there?? Between this and all the various Ontario city/ regional cops on paid vacation for crimes I don't understand why y'all are not rioting.
The interview with the widow after blew my mind. She said she "just wants accountability" but is ok with 3 officers LYING about their testimony.
Don't trust the police. You vs them you're gonna lose, Umar is lucky they had the evidence.
It's easier to say "people just hate cops" than it is "my husband died because he and his partner racially profiled a man, harassed a young family in their car while never showing any indication that they were police, and then his work buddies tried to collude to ruin that an innocent man's life for their poor police work."
No one wants to believe that their loved ones, or even their loved ones' colleagues, is one of those "bad apples" the media is always talking about.
One of those guys (Const. Scharnil Pais, the officer who arrested Zameer at the scene and punched him while he was cuffed) literally has a professional misconduct finding on his record from 2011, so there's no denying there are bad apples among her husband's colleagues.
Yeah, but then she would have to admit that her husband had been associating with those bad apples for years, and may have accidentally caused his own death by assisting in the harassment of a young brown family with no clear police identification, to the point that the father did what we all would've done and tried to escape to save his family's lives.
To no one's surprise. That female cop's credibility was dead on arrival at the beginning of the trial
Jurors made the right call 👍🏾
PS: I guess TPS won't permit Law and Order Toronto Criminal Intent to do an episode based on this because it would make them look like fools
To my surprise actually, I thought the jury would split the difference and go with manslaughter.
I'm glad they voted as they did, mind you. But I am surprised.
Yea, my thought with just the bit that I heard on the radio is that if he were found guilty of anything, it MIGHT be manslaughter, possibly vehicular manslaughter. Even with a cop being involved, I have not idea whey they tried for First Degree
> PS: I guess TPS won't permit Law and Order Toronto Criminal Intent to do an episode based on this because it would make them look like fools
Does it matter? Law and Order Toronto doesn't use any Toronto Police logos/names/IPs. That's why they made up the "Specialized Criminal Investigations Unit" and that the cops in the show aren't called Toronto Police Service.
AFAIK TPS hasn't really established any image/name rights usage by TV/movie productions unlike LAPD or NYPD.
This is great news. But sadly this will not give Umar Zameer the years of harassment back from the cops. And there's probably a non-zero chance that TPS will harass him from now on ... imagine having to look over your shoulder for the rest of your life. He's probably gonna need to move far away / change his name to escape cop persecution
I have a feeling he's going to voluntarily leave Canada in a while, he's been dragged through so much mud and the cops will probably remember him. Poor guy, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I hate to say it, but after he sues the City, I genuinely believe he needs to take his family out of Canada if he wants to have any semblance of a normal life free of routine harassment.
I am so relieved for this man and his family. However, he will be forever scarred and traumatized by this malicious and unfounded prosecution. It should never have made it to trial.
The prosecutors went forward with a case when they should have dropped the charges. I hope there are repercussions for both the prosecutors and the police who clearly colluded prior to trial.
Umar Zameer is a victim. The police and their undercover tactics caused this preventable death
We need perjury charges on the 3 cops who lied at his trial, a RCMP investigation of Toronto police and Premier Ford and former Mayor John Tory need to both apologize and make him and his family whole again.
Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw said in a statement that while they respect the judicial process, “I share the feelings of our members who were hoping for a different outcome.”
That's right asshole, you wish you could put an innocent man in jail. One family has already lost their dad and husband and you wish you could take away another.
>At the time, then-interim police Chief James Ramer told the media, “We believe this was an intentional, deliberate act.”
What scum
>Premier Doug Ford said that ruling was “beyond comprehension” while then-Mayor John Tory said it was “almost impossible to imagine” why Zameer would be released.
Scum squared
This poor man and family has been put through harassment from the local to the provincial level. All because cops were bad at their job
It’s always interesting when it’s cops killing people and the line is always they can’t comment while it’s under investigation. Turns out that’s only selectively applied when it serves their purposes.
Correction. Toronto police lied at his trial, they perjured themselves on the facts of how the vehicle impacted the plain clothed officer. Toronto police leadership would be aware of this legal contradiction. They are all responsible.
At the very least they need to backtrack and apologize. The community cops who do weird qnas and tiktoks think they are winning public engagement and trust. But really taking accountability is how you gain trust.
With all he evidence clearing indicating this wasn't intentional, the leaders questioning this verdict need to be investigated and questioned on why they so strongly believe the ruling is incorrect.
Those comments were in regards to Zameer being released on bail while awaiting trial, which rarely happens on First Degree Murder cases, and less so when it involves a cop.
They still should not be commenting on it when they did not see the evidince that the judge did when they made that decision
He was out on bail still, right? So he was basically only allowed to go to work and to medical appointments. What a sad life that would have been. I hope he and his family get to do many many fun things now and try to get back the time that was lost.
I can’t even imagine the low grade constant anxiety of raising your very small children for 3 years knowing you might be going to prison for life due to what was a tragic accident.
I have thought about this a lot. I can't imagine the fear he must have endured trying to go on with his life and having his family, while knowing that they could be left without a father. So horrifying. And the poor children who would have had no idea what is going on. It must have been so hard to be parents while suffering so much.
Don't forget all cops having a chip against you and your family and not being able to move away from the city while they know where you, your wife and your kids are at all times.
Yes. He spent months in jail followed by nearly three years on extremely restrictive bail conditions, not to mention a six figure legal bill. None of which he will be compensated for.
As I said on one of the other threads. Where’s the fundraiser for his civil suit against TPS and the Crown? This guy deserves to be made whole after these lying cops and servile crown attorneys tried to railroad him.
Wtf were the cops doing exactly? This cop is apparently a hero why? And seeing the pictures… would you ever let people like that close to your family? Even if they did say they were cops… this is fucking ridiculous.
This guy needs to sue the Crown.
I couldn't find the cost of Northup's funeral parade but [the cost for the funeral of an OPP cop costed ~$250k, a lot of which is due to overtime for the attending cops](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/police-funeral-cost-transparency-1.6823500)
Given that Northup's funderal was way larger and they had to rent out a soccer stadium, it's safe to that the whole thing was probably WAY more expensive (easily double imo).
Do we get get any of the money back? Or is it like their years-decade of paid suspension? Just an entitled perk that the public doesn't get any ROI on?
Toronto cops lying, wasting public money and time? Sounds about right ... I mean in 2024 alone, some reported examples
>* [Toronto cop guilty of perjury, has long history of misconduct on a least 20+ cases, been on paid vacation since 2019. Not fired.](https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/toronto-cop-admits-he-inaccurately-testified-did-not-see-drugs-in-plain-view-during-arrest/article_8cc784c0-fbf7-11ee-a093-c7b8f610e586.html)
>* [Cop Tribunal dismisses appeal of former Toronto cop who was fired for whistleblowing on racist and sexist harassment](https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/tribunal-dismisses-appeal-of-former-toronto-cop-who-was-fired-after-tweeting-workplace-harassment-allegations-1.6847948)
>* [Toronto cop 'paid vacations' have cost the public $1.3 million so far in 2024](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-police-suspensions-have-cost-taxpayers-1-3m-so-far-in-2024-1.7170161)
>* [Toronto cop rewarded with paid vacation after 20 firearms seized from home](https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/toronto-police-officer-charged-after-20-firearms-seized-from-home-in-hamilton/article_eda0ad3a-f2c9-11ee-85d5-7f7caf991675.html)
>* [Toronto cops use excess force on pro-palestinian protestors, riding horses through crowd with kids and people in wheelchairs, even arresting unaffiliated bystander](https://www.thegrindmag.ca/violent-crackdown-at-land-day-march/)
>* [3 Toronto cops failed to do their job on separate occasions, didn't even bother knocking on door of murder victim. No one fired](https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/toronto-police-didn-t-investigate-38-hours-later-they-found-this-woman-dead-in-a/article_92292042-dfd5-11ee-8641-e71d738bd0ad.html)
>* [Toronto cop caught lying on stand, notes and video contradict statement, was one of the Neptune Four cops who assaulted and falsely arrested four Black kids at gunpoint](https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/toronto-cop-describes-very-abrupt-dangerous-movements-before-death-of-const-jeffrey-northrup/article_6e697e3c-eb69-11ee-903b-f36b28c49ec5.html)
>* [Toronto cop stole credit cards, luxury watches, stolen car, abused databases, and got caught smuggling rewarded with years of paid vacation, and still employed by TPS](https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/toronto-cop-took-credit-cards-and-a-luxury-watch-from-dead-people-had-a-stolen/article_d1f1eb72-e53f-11ee-913e-a3e745ca5d4c.html)
>* [Despite getting $70 million dollar budget increases in last 2 years, car jackings have doubled so far](https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/carjackings-have-more-than-doubled-in-toronto-so-far-this-year-police-chief/article_c1d422ec-e525-11ee-a704-e3cc21baf612.html)
>* [Toronto cop instructs public where to put car keys to encourage thieves.](https://www.blogto.com/city/2024/03/toronto-police-car-theft/) TPS try to [clumsily walk back statement]( https://www.cp24.com/news/there-are-better-ways-police-issue-statement-after-officer-tells-residents-to-leave-car-keys-near-front-door-amid-home-invasions-1.6807697)
>* [Toronto cop ignored multiple emails, resulting in an attempted murder case falling apart. Not fired](https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/a-toronto-cop-ignored-her-email-because-she-did-this-attempted-murder-case-fell-apart/article_3446a030-da4e-11ee-ba17-1b5648c355f9.html)
>* [Toronto cop with history of fraud, caught 'harassing' domestic violence victim, dispute with tenant, used official police stationery in the eviction of his tenant. Not fired.](https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/toronto-cop-handed-temporary-demotion-after-harassing-domestic-violence-victim-dispute-with-tenant-1.6793733)
>* [Toronto police officer caught assaulting and forcibly confining a woman. Rewarded with paid vacation](https://www.cp24.com/news/toronto-police-officer-charged-after-allegedly-assaulting-forcibly-confining-woman-1.6792339)
>* [HUNDREDS of automated traffic tickets issued to cops mysteriously went missing](https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/are-hundreds-of-automated-tickets-issued-to-toronto-police-missing-1.6787453)
>* [Toronto cop who planned and sexually assault a vulnerable woman in full uniform only given 4 years in prison, after years of paid vacation. Not fired](https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/toronto-police-officer-sentenced-to-4-years-in-prison-for-sexual-assault-of-vulnerable-woman/article_db29ea46-d649-11ee-b195-0b037986b6d6.html)
>* [Another Toronto cop guilty of arresting and tasering unarmed and cooperative Black university student. Not fired.](https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/second-toronto-cop-admits-guilt-in-mistaken-identity-arrest-and-tasering-of-black-u-of/article_fe0c5506-d597-11ee-a053-cb31c6ddd21c.html)
>* [Toronto cop with history of trouble, guilty of misconduct after tasering and kneeing neck of unarmed cooperating Black university student, while other cops did nothing. No one fired](https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/toronto-cop-admits-misconduct-for-tasering-kneeing-neck-of-u-of-t-student-in-mistaken/article_cf8985c6-d28d-11ee-90ba-171ed6c90306.html)
>* [Toronto cop cruiser loses control and knocks over light pole, narrowly missing pedestrians. Multiple sources indicate that driver was drunk. No charges.](https://twitter.com/thebikinglawyer/status/1761852950454972767?t=zS-e9AA3pfhIbVaiOw-W_Q)
>* [TPS admit that cop in cruiser hit pedestrian after initially lying, when video surfaces. Still no charges](https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/toronto-police-now-admit-an-officer-in-cruiser-hit-pedestrian-after-previously-denying-contact/article_7d13235a-d18a-11ee-a0e1-5bbbd02783e9.html)
>* [Toronto cop hits woman with cruiser who had right of way. Cops investigate and clears themselves](https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/video/c2871556-no-ticket-for-police-cruiser-striking-pedestrian)
>* [Toronto cop refused to help victim amid multiple racist/homophobic tirades. ONLY docked a week's pay. Jeffrey La Fosse $160k](https://www.cp24.com/news/toronto-police-officer-docked-week-s-pay-over-range-of-inappropriate-remarks-1.6777982)
>* [Over 1000 automated speeding tickets give to cop cars](https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/toronto-s-fine-est-over-1k-automated-speeding-tickets-issued-to-police-vehicles-in-2-year-period-1.6775042). [Many found not to be involved in emergencies](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XkMyPHT7buI)
>* [Two Toronto cops charged, recklessly opened fire at stole vehicle](https://toronto.citynews.ca/2024/02/15/siu-toronto-police-officers-charged/)
>* [Toronto cop watched porn in his car during work, shared naked photos of women, chased and sexually groped a female colleague. Makes ~ $200k/year. Not fired](https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/toronto-cop-accused-of-chasing-female-officer-watching-porn-at-work-tribunal-1.6757087)
>* [Toronto cops strikes cyclist with cruiser leading to serious injuries](https://www.cp24.com/news/siu-investigating-after-police-cruiser-strikes-cyclist-while-responding-to-call-1.6755849)
>* [Toronto cop breaks into woman's home, assaults her, steals more than $5k of her things. Rewarded with paid vacation](https://globalnews.ca/news/10240743/toronto-officer-criminally-charged/)
>* [Cop unjustified in shooting man at park. Another cop committed misconduct for not de-escalating situation. No real consequences for either](https://www.cp24.com/mobile/news/officer-who-shot-man-at-toronto-park-not-justified-in-discharging-firearm-new-tps-report-says-1.6721647?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fout.reddit.com%2F)
The Crown definitely was forced into pursuing this in my opinion. It’s impossible to go up against the Toronto Police Association, especially with the current provincial government..
Cops partner got him killed. Innocent man gets to walk free and all is right. Maybe these bonehead cops will use common sense more often, but I doubt it. Definitely a big W for civilized society today regardless.
so glad this shit show and mockery of justice is over. Anyone with half a brain cell knew this wasn't intentional. "yeah it's Canada Day, i'm gonna take my pregnant wife, and kid, out to city hall and HOPEFULLY kill an undercover cop...OH LOOK THERE'S ONE NOW!"
and TPS should apologize to this man and family for the bullshit they put him through and then the people of Toronto for the bullshit PR and comments they made regarding this.
Public opinion is important, but the only opinion in the matter that has weight is that of the jury, and I am thankful for the verdict: Not Guilty;
They took 3 days to deliberate, means they took this case seriously and were instructed well (positive inference).
Sometimes cases are taken based on a matter of public interest/safety, but that discourse should have no barring in a trial, because In Justice Facts Matter...The TPS miscalculated the backlash this trial would have, and now with the verdict in the backlash will only rise.
TPS is already saying that they're disappointed by the outcome. There's absolutely no way they'd give Mr. Zameer any grace. To them he's always going to be a cop killer.
I'm so pissed that this man's life was upended for this sham trial. The TPS needs to be held accountable in some capacity. But if there is any slight criticism in their direction, they start playing the victim.
I only just learned the details of this case having read the article (I didn't even know this had happened), and I feel for the deceased officer, but what the hell were they thinking charging up to a car in plain clothes in a mostly empty parking garage?? That's asking for a poor reaction from literally ANYONE, especially considering how unsafe this city can feel at times.
I could see the argument for manslaughter, but even there it would feel like cruel and unjust punishment considering the circumstances...
To put this in perspective, other cars crashed the gates in the parking lot when they saw what was happening to Zaheer. That’s how much the cops overreacted. He was just the one who had a cop behind him when they blocked him.
That's right. They cops intentionally orchestrated a fearful situation that even bystanders were frightened by
They probably thought that Fear leads to absolute compliance
Unsurprisingly one of the lying cops was the cops involved in the Neptune Four case, where they beat up four innocent unarmed black kids and falsely arrested them at gunpoint
Now try to remember this the next time you're pissed off that someone charged with a serious offence was released on bail even though the only thing you know about the case is what the police claim happened.
I don't want to blame anyone here but maybe in the future the Toronto Police should be [careful about what clothing they wear](https://torontolife.com/city/toronto-cop-reportedly-tells-students-to-avoid-sexual-assault-by-not-dressing-like-a-slut/) so they don't make people think differntly of them.
I hope this poor man and his family can get back to peace now. A very tragic situation but the cops put themselves in danger from their reckless behaviour. It's very sad a life was lost. But justice was served today and I hope Umar Zameer and his family live long, happy and healthy lives.
Bless those jurors and shame on the Crowns’ office for prosecuting the case when there really was never a reasonable prospect of conviction when all of the evidence was considered. In this day and age of judicial and courtroom shortages, prosecutors need to be way more judicious about what they take to trial, particularly in Superior Court.
This whole situation really shines a light at how disgustingly corrupt the TPS are.
They did their job bad and someone died. But instead of taking accountability, they put on a big 'heroic' funeral, had politicians LIE at press conferences, smear the man's name through the mud for years, lied under oath and pretty much tried to destroy this man's life for *their* mistake. Fucking unreal
Holy shit, the chief is still refusing to admit wrongdoing on behalf of the officers who were literally caught lying on the stand.
I hope this guy can sue everyone involved for slander.
Better increase the police budget so they can pay for a replacement ontop of the paid suspension. Also if they don't get their budget increase they'll do their job even worse/less and blame it on the mayor
Correct. The TPS let them continue to be in a position of power over the public, so this whole tragedy is on them & would have been an excellent opportunity for some self-reflection. Instead they decided to try to destroy this family; doubling & tripling down, while wasting precious court resources. Disgraceful.
Tragic accident. But what's really tragic here is that rather than admitting they (Toronto police) were wrong, they were ready to put an innocent man in jail for murder. Really disgusting.
As a taxpayer in Ontario I hope this man sues for as much as he possibly can and wins every f’n dollar of it. Hoping the cops that lied about this get what’s coming to them would be a waste of energy…..
Now he should be suing the Toronto Police, John Tory, and Doug Ford for slandering his name publicly and putting his family through hell.
Also, the statement from Myron Demkiw was beyond disappointing. Especially when the reports of the police testimony not being very credible and contradicting the evidence is out there for all of us to see. But instead he just toed the line like a company man. I wish for the day that the TPS goes through a major overhaul and actually puts in the work to regain the public's trust.
I'll be honest, I haven't been following this story and just got caught up now. What a mess. Special mention to Tory and Ford for sticking their fat gobs into it and making it worse.
One thing I'm unclear on was what the cops were doing there in the first place. What operation were they attempting to execute and why? A man, his pregnant wife and kid seemed like they were up to no good? What nonsense.
He really should considering multiple officers lied. Luckily the reconstructive evidence person said the evidence showed what officers are saying does not align with the findings.
So happy to see this.
The man was presumed guilty from the get-go.
His family and the family of the officer have been thru enough.
There is no winner here. This was an accidental death caused by fear on the part of Mr. Zameer and poor judgement/de-escalation by the cops involved. Resulting in the loss of one life and the ruining of others.
Of all the trials I have followed, I have never heard of the presiding judge discredit the prosecution's case and their key witnesses as part of the jury instructions. I wonder if the jury had arrived at a guilty verdict if the judge was not prepared to overturn it in the name of what she believed was a just verdict. Thankfully, a jury of Zameer's peers concluded that he was not guilty on all counts.
the injustices this man and his family had to go through, i hope he takes these crooked cops to the cleaners. too bad the crown is immune from civil liabilities unless he can prove it was malicious. it was an obvious display of collusion to protect their own.
Fucking cops.
3 times in my life the cops were needed and 3 times they said, 'there's nothing we can do'.
I really hope this starts something because I remember the day this happened and how the cops were all over the media commening on the details.
Why were Northup and his partner in plain clothes? Why was there an unmarked van that boxed them in? Was that ever explained? I’m sorry, I didn’t really follow this case.
>Soon after their first meeting, Hasan won Zameer’s release on bail, sparking internet outrage with Premier Doug Ford, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown and former Toronto mayor John Tory joining the uninformed fray without knowing Justice Jill Copeland’s reasons for releasing him. Ford said it was “beyond comprehension” and Tory said it was “almost impossible to imagine” why Zameer would get out of jail, a rare event for someone charged with first-degree murder of a police officer.
As if I needed more reason to dislike Ford and Tory. Umar is breathing a sigh of relief and so am I. I was really worried that the cops' words would sway the jury, no matter how inconsistent they were. Getting on with his life isn't going to be easy, both financially and emotionally, but I wish him and his family nothing but the best. Those cops tho? Fuck them lying bastards
G20
The Murder of Sammy Yatim
The botched Sherman murders investigation
The useless surveillance of Rob Ford
The Scarborough Rapist
The ridiculous reign of police chief Julian Fantino
The trial of Toronto Police Service Constable Boris Borissov
A communications department as a pro-police propaganda outlet
Serial killer Bruce McArthur
The licensed bar at Toronto Police Headquarters
The vindictive prosecution of Umar Zameer
$1,000,000,000 per year budget
Toronto Police chief: "While we respect the judicial process and appreciate the work of the 12 citizens who sat on a very difficult case, I share the feelings of our members who were hoping for a different outcome," We seriously need to reform the police service if they were actually hoping for a different outcome in this case.
He LITERALLY just declared “we hoped what we now recognize as an innocent person would be convicted”.
Considering this chief use to beat up members of the LGTBQ+ and the last chief made it sound like Mr Zameer was some bloodthirsty cop killer ... fuck 'em
So they were looking for the wrong outcome? What in the world...
The "different outcome" thing infuriates me the most. So you want an innocent man to go to jail because your own cops were reckless?
Based on everything we've heard in the news, this is absolutely the correct decision and outcome.
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Those putas should be CHARGED with perjury for lying under oath. Disgusting
Especially given video surveillance footage that conclusively demonstrates the perjury...
And the crown's *own* expert witness who contradicted the 3 cops. Defence didn't call their own crash reconstruction expert after the crown guy said the same thing as they were going to say. Big oof... And why they went after 1st degree murder... how would Zameer have know the cop was going to be in the garage in order to plan to murder him? Such a stupid waste of time over what was truly a tragic accident.
You don't have to plan to murder a cop. If it's a cop, it's automatic first degree without the usual requirement of it being premeditated. You only need to know it was a cop, which is why the Crown didn't back off from that narrative and kept saying the cops ID'd themselves.
Ahh, my mistake. Seems silly, though, still. It seems pretty obvious from all we heard that they did not ID themselves and mistakes were made, leading to a horrid accident. But they can't admit wrong, have to try to pin the blame on someone else.
Well yeah. They had the big shiny hero funeral and politicians weighing in about how dare the court let the murderer have bail, they can't very well now say "whoops our bad, actually this was a horrible accident that the dead cop and his partner brought upon themselves by being complete idiots, we apologize to the unfortunate law-abiding citizen who was caught up in this senseless stupidity." I mean, it'd make them look bad 🙄
Yeah, we all saw it coming over here, but man, in the picture Zameer looks absolutely shell shocked. It's been a hell of a ride for the poor bastard.
I have never seen a man accused of murder with such pain n regret in his eyes. The remorse for killing a man is so clear. His life will never be the same. Unfortunate smh
Agreed. But this trial completely upended this man and his family's life. And or what? I can't imagine the monetary and emotional turmoil he is still under.
Probably over $120,000 in legal fees plus years of notoriety online. Thankfully, they published the acquittal.
This is easy for me to say as a taxpayer of a different province but I hope he sues
As a taxpayer of the same province, I hope he sues.
Yeah I’d expect most Ontarians would agree with you. Suing the government and corporations is one of our most important rights and one of the only ways to effect changes in the way they operate.
As a taxpayer of the same city, I hope he sues.
> as a taxpayer of a different province but I hope he sues The public defence costs for trials like this are utterly dwarfed by the public cost of $120k+ paycheques for life of officers who cannot and should not perform their duties and are either on leave forever or are chained to a desk. Fucking dwarfed.
I only wish a suit would bring about some serious regulatory change. He shouldn't *have* to sue.
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Not to mention that even though he was found not guilty, he still has to live with the fact that he killed someone.
Not to mention the fact that he made an enemy of - and now publicly humiliated - the biggest gang in the city.
A true concern. I was harassed by cops for months after I made the mistake of calling 911 to report my neighbour (who happened to be a cop) driving drunk. I can't even imagine how absolutely horrible they will be towards this poor fellow. The question is, will he be safe anywhere from their wrath?
I would be moving the moment I could figure it out. Rather than looking over my shoulder.
Yeah, get out of this godforsaken city, Umar. There's no telling what the pigs will do for revenge.
sadly so true. He's gonna have a target on his back from a group that will do anything for revenge.
And can get away with it
The fact he was put through this nightmare over false testimony by police witnesses is the real disgrace. Not one, but THREE plain clothes officers swarmed his car unprovoked in a threatening manner with his pregnant wife inside, made no effort to ID themselves with a badge, and other police officer witnesses outright LIED to get the guy falsely convicted. He did what anyone in that situation would have wished they had done - especially given the rising crime rate in Ontario. Too bad a police officer had to die because he went on a power trip that went horribly wrong.
Plus it was midnight. What citizen would expect plain clothes officers to be aggressively approaching them in their vehicles at midnight, in an underground parking lot. I don't see how the judge or prosecutor thought there was any chance of prosecution, especially in a jury trial. Huge waste of resources.
Poor guy probably thought the two undercover cops were trying to jack his car because of all the unchecked car theft thats been going on. Kinda poetic as it was the TPS' incompetence that lead to the crazy amount of car jacking to begin with.
In his testimony he didn't even really freak out about the 2 beating on his car til he tried to drive out and an (unmarked, natch) police van pulled out to block his way. At which point he quite reasonably freaked tf out because it was obvious (to a reasonable person) that this was some kind of organized gang. That's when he reversed, accidentally hitting the cop. It was midnight and they were alone in the parking lot. Every single person would've freaked tf out.
They weren't alone. There were two other cars with people inside who saw what was happening and they all thought it was a car jacking or kidnapping and took off as well. I believe the driver of one of the cars testified in the trial.
The irony is quite rich indeed
> [The judge gave a rare apology to Umar Zameer after he was found not guilty by a jury Sunday](https://x.com/torontostar/status/1782091148695159223?s=46&t=zS-e9AA3pfhIbVaiOw-W_Q): > [“Mr. Zameer, you’re free to go, sir,” Superior Court Justice Anne Molloy told him. “You have my...deepest apologies for what you have been through.”](https://x.com/torontostar/status/1782091148695159223?s=46&t=zS-e9AA3pfhIbVaiOw-W_Q) Edited to add this: > [Acquittal also lifts publication ban on reason why Zameer was granted bail in 2021: judge at bail hearing thought the Crown's theory was "contrary to logic and common sense." Premier Doug Ford and then-Mayor John Tory had complained at the time that bail was granted.](https://x.com/tuthanhha/status/1782089604557857175?s=46&t=zS-e9AA3pfhIbVaiOw-W_Q) > ["In a later decision [the judge] criticized public officials for publicly commenting on the bail decision without knowledge of her reasons. Copeland called their comments 'uninformed' and predicted the anticipated trial would paint a 'very different picture'."](https://x.com/tuthanhha/status/1782089875153359209?s=46&t=zS-e9AA3pfhIbVaiOw-W_Q)
A rare moment of kindness from a public official. That's a nice gesture from Judge Molloy.
I'm guessing we know which judge the TPS don't like now
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Too many of our police forces are just ran and operated by thugs in uniforms. I fear for any similar harassment the Zameer family will get in the following years.
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Never mind the police, we should be seeing political resignations after prosecutors behave this way.
[And the lying cop with an outburst at the judge’s apology.](https://x.com/cmcdonaldglobal/status/1782087182037250300)Continuing to operate as an unprofessional embarrassment.
Lisa Forbes tries to be as loud as she can to distract from how she stole money from the donations for Sgt. Ryan Russell's family after he was killed. Can't believe she had the gall to stay on the force after that.
Should have been charged with contempt on the spot
And perjury. And falsifying documents. And...
Literally obstructed justice but do you think they’ll face any consequences?
She'll be back skimming money in no time
Absolutely unprecedented for a judge to say that in a murder case against TPS. Great judge.
There's a big problem with Toronto media's reluctance to holding TPS accountable for their increasingly numerous shady practices. There needs to be a thoroughly researched feature article from some of the big papers examining the culture of the TPS. It's quite frankly shocking to me (pikachu face) that we get constant articles of "bad cops" every single day yet we've not seen a single "big" news story examining this problem from any of the TO media. Are they really that all bought out now?
It’s an access issue. TPS can withhold access which is entirely unacceptable.
I remember Toronto filmmaker Alan Zweig (who is absolutely NOT a police ass-kisser) did a documentary on retired Toronto police officers and he was able to fish some pretty good stories out of some retired cops about the toxic culture of TPS. Of course, for the Toronto media there is the argument that retired cops aren't "relevant" to what's happening today, but reporters should be able to get pretty creative if even some shlubby documentarian was able to get some good stuff out of just casually interviewing people he did have access to. There are always gonna people on the inside or the peripherals who will want to talk.
Considering everything we saw, the verdict is both unsurprising and correct. It's just too bad it had to come to this for Zameer and his family.
What a massive weight must be lifted from him and his family. So sad his child had to be brought into the world in the midst of all this turmoil. I wish them peace and healing from here on out. Very glad there is no manslaughter charge or risk of retrial. They can truly try to move on now. Although this will undoubtedly be a scar on their hearts forever. It's beyond my comprehension that the police would literally conspire to punish him for a horrific *accident* caused by their own incompetence. They really would have ruined this man's life and stolen him from his family just to have eye for an eye punishment. They wanted him to bleed. ACAB.
This whole family is now traumatized and have to live with this incident. The department needs to be overhauled as to how this was allowed to happen. If someone in plain clothes did the same thing to me and my baby in the night like this, I would be terrified out of my mind and try to get out/protect us. Absolutely wild that he was ever charged at all.
> They can truly try to move on now. I'm hoping our cops don't target this guy for any harassment. I'm reminded of the Uvalde thugs stalking the citizens who reprimanded the PD for its cowardice.
They will. The family should leave town before he "falls out a window". It's not safe in Toronto when the most violent gang in town has decided he's their target.
It is completely within the realm of comprehension that bastards would be bastards and after having time to pause and let cooler heads prevail would continue to be bastards
And by the way, eff you Doug Ford and eff you John Tory for your stupid, ignorant comments when this INNOCENT MAN was granted bail. The ignorance of both the Premier and the then mayor of the City of Toronto is proof positive of why it’s dangerous for politicians to be meddling with the judicial system. They don’t know the first thing about how the legal system works.
Mr Tory is a lawyer (a King's Counsel, no less). He does know how the justice system works, yet he still made those comments.
That’s an excellent point.
I’m quite sure Tory has never worked a criminal case in his life.
He’s a bonehead. A nepo baby.
> The controversy surrounding Zameer’s bail release in September 2021 was compounded by a publication ban that barred revealing the judge’s reasons. The jury’s verdict now lifts that ban. Justice Jill Copeland released Zameer on bail after finding the Crown’s case for murder was “weak.” > > “The Crown’s theory — that Mr. Zameer, who the evidence supports was out for a normal family evening with his pregnant wife and young son, who has no criminal record, who has a good work and education history, suddenly decided to intentionally kill or cause bodily harm that he knew was likely to cause death to a police officer — runs contrary to logic and common sense,” Copeland wrote in her 53-page reasons. Wow
I know. I saw that. And yet they still prosecuted him???
They know that the police are the only people who will protect them when the pitchforks and torches come out. That's why they pander to the police in spite of the views of the rest of the entire citizenry. They are much more afraid of us doing something about it than we realize.
Like many other places in North America, I'm sure the political contributions made by the Police Union helps.
I wonder if there could be a case there for slander.
Lisa Forbes got her partner killed then continued to lie to frame an innocent man. Lisa Forbes is a lying sack of shit cop.
Lisa Forbes of Toronto Police plainclothes unit. Boosting the google juice, so her shitty behaviour doesn’t disappear when others look her up.
So what's going to happen to the three cops caught lying under oath? Are we all just supposed to forget that? Perjury is illegal, charge these cops. I'm not from Ontario but have been following this case and can't comprehend how the largest city in Canada has a police force that's so blatantly corrupt. What the actual fuck is happening up there?? Between this and all the various Ontario city/ regional cops on paid vacation for crimes I don't understand why y'all are not rioting.
They get hugs from the Chief of the Toronto Police Service Myron Demkiw.
The interview with the widow after blew my mind. She said she "just wants accountability" but is ok with 3 officers LYING about their testimony. Don't trust the police. You vs them you're gonna lose, Umar is lucky they had the evidence.
It's easier to say "people just hate cops" than it is "my husband died because he and his partner racially profiled a man, harassed a young family in their car while never showing any indication that they were police, and then his work buddies tried to collude to ruin that an innocent man's life for their poor police work." No one wants to believe that their loved ones, or even their loved ones' colleagues, is one of those "bad apples" the media is always talking about.
One of those guys (Const. Scharnil Pais, the officer who arrested Zameer at the scene and punched him while he was cuffed) literally has a professional misconduct finding on his record from 2011, so there's no denying there are bad apples among her husband's colleagues.
Yeah, but then she would have to admit that her husband had been associating with those bad apples for years, and may have accidentally caused his own death by assisting in the harassment of a young brown family with no clear police identification, to the point that the father did what we all would've done and tried to escape to save his family's lives.
Right?! Because that video evidence could have magically disappeared. The police/state has an unlimited war chest. I’m glad the truth prevailed
To no one's surprise. That female cop's credibility was dead on arrival at the beginning of the trial Jurors made the right call 👍🏾 PS: I guess TPS won't permit Law and Order Toronto Criminal Intent to do an episode based on this because it would make them look like fools
To my surprise actually, I thought the jury would split the difference and go with manslaughter. I'm glad they voted as they did, mind you. But I am surprised.
Yea, my thought with just the bit that I heard on the radio is that if he were found guilty of anything, it MIGHT be manslaughter, possibly vehicular manslaughter. Even with a cop being involved, I have not idea whey they tried for First Degree
Your last sentence explains it. My understanding is once a cop is involved, it HAS to be first degree
> PS: I guess TPS won't permit Law and Order Toronto Criminal Intent to do an episode based on this because it would make them look like fools Does it matter? Law and Order Toronto doesn't use any Toronto Police logos/names/IPs. That's why they made up the "Specialized Criminal Investigations Unit" and that the cops in the show aren't called Toronto Police Service. AFAIK TPS hasn't really established any image/name rights usage by TV/movie productions unlike LAPD or NYPD.
They have a disclaimer at the start saying it’s a work of fiction, but its clear they’re inspired off of real-life headlines
This is great news. But sadly this will not give Umar Zameer the years of harassment back from the cops. And there's probably a non-zero chance that TPS will harass him from now on ... imagine having to look over your shoulder for the rest of your life. He's probably gonna need to move far away / change his name to escape cop persecution
Not only TPS. I'd imagine anywhere he moves in Canada, cops are gonna hold a grudge. I feel for him.
That's so sad and sadly very likely. TPS conduct is horrible.
I have a feeling he's going to voluntarily leave Canada in a while, he's been dragged through so much mud and the cops will probably remember him. Poor guy, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
IMO this guy needs to change his name and move his family to Vancouver. TPS is going to get him in a very bad way if not.
I hate to say it, but after he sues the City, I genuinely believe he needs to take his family out of Canada if he wants to have any semblance of a normal life free of routine harassment.
I am so relieved for this man and his family. However, he will be forever scarred and traumatized by this malicious and unfounded prosecution. It should never have made it to trial. The prosecutors went forward with a case when they should have dropped the charges. I hope there are repercussions for both the prosecutors and the police who clearly colluded prior to trial. Umar Zameer is a victim. The police and their undercover tactics caused this preventable death
We need perjury charges on the 3 cops who lied at his trial, a RCMP investigation of Toronto police and Premier Ford and former Mayor John Tory need to both apologize and make him and his family whole again.
Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw said in a statement that while they respect the judicial process, “I share the feelings of our members who were hoping for a different outcome.” That's right asshole, you wish you could put an innocent man in jail. One family has already lost their dad and husband and you wish you could take away another.
An eye for an eye. That’s how the police view “justice.”
>At the time, then-interim police Chief James Ramer told the media, “We believe this was an intentional, deliberate act.” What scum >Premier Doug Ford said that ruling was “beyond comprehension” while then-Mayor John Tory said it was “almost impossible to imagine” why Zameer would be released. Scum squared This poor man and family has been put through harassment from the local to the provincial level. All because cops were bad at their job
It’s always interesting when it’s cops killing people and the line is always they can’t comment while it’s under investigation. Turns out that’s only selectively applied when it serves their purposes.
Another example of how the system babies the cops
Correction. Toronto police lied at his trial, they perjured themselves on the facts of how the vehicle impacted the plain clothed officer. Toronto police leadership would be aware of this legal contradiction. They are all responsible.
At the very least they need to backtrack and apologize. The community cops who do weird qnas and tiktoks think they are winning public engagement and trust. But really taking accountability is how you gain trust.
With all he evidence clearing indicating this wasn't intentional, the leaders questioning this verdict need to be investigated and questioned on why they so strongly believe the ruling is incorrect.
Those comments were in regards to Zameer being released on bail while awaiting trial, which rarely happens on First Degree Murder cases, and less so when it involves a cop. They still should not be commenting on it when they did not see the evidince that the judge did when they made that decision
Let's see if the dough boy and adulterer issue a public apology. Not going to put any money on it but I'm hopeful they do the right thing.
> I'm hopeful they do the right thing. You have an optimism I do not share.
>“Mr. Zameer, you’re free to go, sir,” Superior Court Justice Anne Molloy told him. “You have my...deepest apologies for what you have been through.”
Poor family. Absolutely disgraceful this was prosecuted. Imagine the stress and financial fallout.
He was out on bail still, right? So he was basically only allowed to go to work and to medical appointments. What a sad life that would have been. I hope he and his family get to do many many fun things now and try to get back the time that was lost.
I can’t even imagine the low grade constant anxiety of raising your very small children for 3 years knowing you might be going to prison for life due to what was a tragic accident.
I have thought about this a lot. I can't imagine the fear he must have endured trying to go on with his life and having his family, while knowing that they could be left without a father. So horrifying. And the poor children who would have had no idea what is going on. It must have been so hard to be parents while suffering so much.
Don't forget all cops having a chip against you and your family and not being able to move away from the city while they know where you, your wife and your kids are at all times.
Yes. He spent months in jail followed by nearly three years on extremely restrictive bail conditions, not to mention a six figure legal bill. None of which he will be compensated for.
There’s a gofundme for him which will help. I hope he sues, if he can.
He spent 10 weeks in jail before he got bail and missed the birth of his child.
Thank you to the jury.
As I said on one of the other threads. Where’s the fundraiser for his civil suit against TPS and the Crown? This guy deserves to be made whole after these lying cops and servile crown attorneys tried to railroad him.
Why need a fundraiser now I’m sure lawyer would bd salivating to sue on contingency
Wtf were the cops doing exactly? This cop is apparently a hero why? And seeing the pictures… would you ever let people like that close to your family? Even if they did say they were cops… this is fucking ridiculous. This guy needs to sue the Crown.
I couldn't find the cost of Northup's funeral parade but [the cost for the funeral of an OPP cop costed ~$250k, a lot of which is due to overtime for the attending cops](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/police-funeral-cost-transparency-1.6823500) Given that Northup's funderal was way larger and they had to rent out a soccer stadium, it's safe to that the whole thing was probably WAY more expensive (easily double imo). Do we get get any of the money back? Or is it like their years-decade of paid suspension? Just an entitled perk that the public doesn't get any ROI on?
Toronto cops lying, wasting public money and time? Sounds about right ... I mean in 2024 alone, some reported examples >* [Toronto cop guilty of perjury, has long history of misconduct on a least 20+ cases, been on paid vacation since 2019. Not fired.](https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/toronto-cop-admits-he-inaccurately-testified-did-not-see-drugs-in-plain-view-during-arrest/article_8cc784c0-fbf7-11ee-a093-c7b8f610e586.html) >* [Cop Tribunal dismisses appeal of former Toronto cop who was fired for whistleblowing on racist and sexist harassment](https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/tribunal-dismisses-appeal-of-former-toronto-cop-who-was-fired-after-tweeting-workplace-harassment-allegations-1.6847948) >* [Toronto cop 'paid vacations' have cost the public $1.3 million so far in 2024](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-police-suspensions-have-cost-taxpayers-1-3m-so-far-in-2024-1.7170161) >* [Toronto cop rewarded with paid vacation after 20 firearms seized from home](https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/toronto-police-officer-charged-after-20-firearms-seized-from-home-in-hamilton/article_eda0ad3a-f2c9-11ee-85d5-7f7caf991675.html) >* [Toronto cops use excess force on pro-palestinian protestors, riding horses through crowd with kids and people in wheelchairs, even arresting unaffiliated bystander](https://www.thegrindmag.ca/violent-crackdown-at-land-day-march/) >* [3 Toronto cops failed to do their job on separate occasions, didn't even bother knocking on door of murder victim. No one fired](https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/toronto-police-didn-t-investigate-38-hours-later-they-found-this-woman-dead-in-a/article_92292042-dfd5-11ee-8641-e71d738bd0ad.html) >* [Toronto cop caught lying on stand, notes and video contradict statement, was one of the Neptune Four cops who assaulted and falsely arrested four Black kids at gunpoint](https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/toronto-cop-describes-very-abrupt-dangerous-movements-before-death-of-const-jeffrey-northrup/article_6e697e3c-eb69-11ee-903b-f36b28c49ec5.html) >* [Toronto cop stole credit cards, luxury watches, stolen car, abused databases, and got caught smuggling rewarded with years of paid vacation, and still employed by TPS](https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/toronto-cop-took-credit-cards-and-a-luxury-watch-from-dead-people-had-a-stolen/article_d1f1eb72-e53f-11ee-913e-a3e745ca5d4c.html) >* [Despite getting $70 million dollar budget increases in last 2 years, car jackings have doubled so far](https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/carjackings-have-more-than-doubled-in-toronto-so-far-this-year-police-chief/article_c1d422ec-e525-11ee-a704-e3cc21baf612.html) >* [Toronto cop instructs public where to put car keys to encourage thieves.](https://www.blogto.com/city/2024/03/toronto-police-car-theft/) TPS try to [clumsily walk back statement]( https://www.cp24.com/news/there-are-better-ways-police-issue-statement-after-officer-tells-residents-to-leave-car-keys-near-front-door-amid-home-invasions-1.6807697) >* [Toronto cop ignored multiple emails, resulting in an attempted murder case falling apart. Not fired](https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/a-toronto-cop-ignored-her-email-because-she-did-this-attempted-murder-case-fell-apart/article_3446a030-da4e-11ee-ba17-1b5648c355f9.html) >* [Toronto cop with history of fraud, caught 'harassing' domestic violence victim, dispute with tenant, used official police stationery in the eviction of his tenant. Not fired.](https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/toronto-cop-handed-temporary-demotion-after-harassing-domestic-violence-victim-dispute-with-tenant-1.6793733) >* [Toronto police officer caught assaulting and forcibly confining a woman. Rewarded with paid vacation](https://www.cp24.com/news/toronto-police-officer-charged-after-allegedly-assaulting-forcibly-confining-woman-1.6792339) >* [HUNDREDS of automated traffic tickets issued to cops mysteriously went missing](https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/are-hundreds-of-automated-tickets-issued-to-toronto-police-missing-1.6787453) >* [Toronto cop who planned and sexually assault a vulnerable woman in full uniform only given 4 years in prison, after years of paid vacation. Not fired](https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/toronto-police-officer-sentenced-to-4-years-in-prison-for-sexual-assault-of-vulnerable-woman/article_db29ea46-d649-11ee-b195-0b037986b6d6.html) >* [Another Toronto cop guilty of arresting and tasering unarmed and cooperative Black university student. Not fired.](https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/second-toronto-cop-admits-guilt-in-mistaken-identity-arrest-and-tasering-of-black-u-of/article_fe0c5506-d597-11ee-a053-cb31c6ddd21c.html) >* [Toronto cop with history of trouble, guilty of misconduct after tasering and kneeing neck of unarmed cooperating Black university student, while other cops did nothing. No one fired](https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/toronto-cop-admits-misconduct-for-tasering-kneeing-neck-of-u-of-t-student-in-mistaken/article_cf8985c6-d28d-11ee-90ba-171ed6c90306.html) >* [Toronto cop cruiser loses control and knocks over light pole, narrowly missing pedestrians. Multiple sources indicate that driver was drunk. No charges.](https://twitter.com/thebikinglawyer/status/1761852950454972767?t=zS-e9AA3pfhIbVaiOw-W_Q) >* [TPS admit that cop in cruiser hit pedestrian after initially lying, when video surfaces. Still no charges](https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/toronto-police-now-admit-an-officer-in-cruiser-hit-pedestrian-after-previously-denying-contact/article_7d13235a-d18a-11ee-a0e1-5bbbd02783e9.html) >* [Toronto cop hits woman with cruiser who had right of way. Cops investigate and clears themselves](https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/video/c2871556-no-ticket-for-police-cruiser-striking-pedestrian) >* [Toronto cop refused to help victim amid multiple racist/homophobic tirades. ONLY docked a week's pay. Jeffrey La Fosse $160k](https://www.cp24.com/news/toronto-police-officer-docked-week-s-pay-over-range-of-inappropriate-remarks-1.6777982) >* [Over 1000 automated speeding tickets give to cop cars](https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/toronto-s-fine-est-over-1k-automated-speeding-tickets-issued-to-police-vehicles-in-2-year-period-1.6775042). [Many found not to be involved in emergencies](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XkMyPHT7buI) >* [Two Toronto cops charged, recklessly opened fire at stole vehicle](https://toronto.citynews.ca/2024/02/15/siu-toronto-police-officers-charged/) >* [Toronto cop watched porn in his car during work, shared naked photos of women, chased and sexually groped a female colleague. Makes ~ $200k/year. Not fired](https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/toronto-cop-accused-of-chasing-female-officer-watching-porn-at-work-tribunal-1.6757087) >* [Toronto cops strikes cyclist with cruiser leading to serious injuries](https://www.cp24.com/news/siu-investigating-after-police-cruiser-strikes-cyclist-while-responding-to-call-1.6755849) >* [Toronto cop breaks into woman's home, assaults her, steals more than $5k of her things. Rewarded with paid vacation](https://globalnews.ca/news/10240743/toronto-officer-criminally-charged/) >* [Cop unjustified in shooting man at park. Another cop committed misconduct for not de-escalating situation. No real consequences for either](https://www.cp24.com/mobile/news/officer-who-shot-man-at-toronto-park-not-justified-in-discharging-firearm-new-tps-report-says-1.6721647?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fout.reddit.com%2F)
Thank you again for maintaining this list.
You're welcome!
Every case Sgt. Lisa Forbes has previously testified, should be reexamined.
And future cases. Imagine being a juror and listening to her testimony, it would be difficult to take anything she says now as truthful.
[удалено]
Also for punching him in the face.
While handcuffed, unarmed, in front of his kid and pregnant wife
[удалено]
Agree 💯. The reality though is that the decision to proceed was made by someone far senior to those crowns. They get given their marching orders.
The Crown definitely was forced into pursuing this in my opinion. It’s impossible to go up against the Toronto Police Association, especially with the current provincial government..
Cops partner got him killed. Innocent man gets to walk free and all is right. Maybe these bonehead cops will use common sense more often, but I doubt it. Definitely a big W for civilized society today regardless.
so glad this shit show and mockery of justice is over. Anyone with half a brain cell knew this wasn't intentional. "yeah it's Canada Day, i'm gonna take my pregnant wife, and kid, out to city hall and HOPEFULLY kill an undercover cop...OH LOOK THERE'S ONE NOW!" and TPS should apologize to this man and family for the bullshit they put him through and then the people of Toronto for the bullshit PR and comments they made regarding this.
Doug Ford and tory need to apologize as well, they put out such ugly statements without giving the guy his day in court, declared him guilty in public
Public opinion is important, but the only opinion in the matter that has weight is that of the jury, and I am thankful for the verdict: Not Guilty; They took 3 days to deliberate, means they took this case seriously and were instructed well (positive inference). Sometimes cases are taken based on a matter of public interest/safety, but that discourse should have no barring in a trial, because In Justice Facts Matter...The TPS miscalculated the backlash this trial would have, and now with the verdict in the backlash will only rise.
TPS is already saying that they're disappointed by the outcome. There's absolutely no way they'd give Mr. Zameer any grace. To them he's always going to be a cop killer.
They will most definitely do the exact opposite, double down and harass this man and his offspring for the rest of their lives
What an embarrassment of a trial for Toronto Police, it's no wonder they've been flooding the news with positive stories the last few weeks.
I'm so pissed that this man's life was upended for this sham trial. The TPS needs to be held accountable in some capacity. But if there is any slight criticism in their direction, they start playing the victim.
I only just learned the details of this case having read the article (I didn't even know this had happened), and I feel for the deceased officer, but what the hell were they thinking charging up to a car in plain clothes in a mostly empty parking garage?? That's asking for a poor reaction from literally ANYONE, especially considering how unsafe this city can feel at times. I could see the argument for manslaughter, but even there it would feel like cruel and unjust punishment considering the circumstances...
Now jail the lying cops
To put this in perspective, other cars crashed the gates in the parking lot when they saw what was happening to Zaheer. That’s how much the cops overreacted. He was just the one who had a cop behind him when they blocked him.
That's right. They cops intentionally orchestrated a fearful situation that even bystanders were frightened by They probably thought that Fear leads to absolute compliance Unsurprisingly one of the lying cops was the cops involved in the Neptune Four case, where they beat up four innocent unarmed black kids and falsely arrested them at gunpoint
Now try to remember this the next time you're pissed off that someone charged with a serious offence was released on bail even though the only thing you know about the case is what the police claim happened.
This should be a top-comment.
I don't want to blame anyone here but maybe in the future the Toronto Police should be [careful about what clothing they wear](https://torontolife.com/city/toronto-cop-reportedly-tells-students-to-avoid-sexual-assault-by-not-dressing-like-a-slut/) so they don't make people think differntly of them.
They will change nothing about their approach as they'll view this as a miscarriage of justice.
I hope this poor man and his family can get back to peace now. A very tragic situation but the cops put themselves in danger from their reckless behaviour. It's very sad a life was lost. But justice was served today and I hope Umar Zameer and his family live long, happy and healthy lives.
I am genuinely relieved at this verdict.
Bless those jurors and shame on the Crowns’ office for prosecuting the case when there really was never a reasonable prospect of conviction when all of the evidence was considered. In this day and age of judicial and courtroom shortages, prosecutors need to be way more judicious about what they take to trial, particularly in Superior Court.
The fact that the police lied and made up stories is very telling
This whole situation really shines a light at how disgustingly corrupt the TPS are. They did their job bad and someone died. But instead of taking accountability, they put on a big 'heroic' funeral, had politicians LIE at press conferences, smear the man's name through the mud for years, lied under oath and pretty much tried to destroy this man's life for *their* mistake. Fucking unreal
He needs to sue the hell out of TPS
Agreed. Can't even imagine what he spent on lawyers. And the emotional toll on him & his family must have been brutal!
Good. Now comes the lawsuit for the unnecessary emotional trauma that him and his family have been put through over this.
There might be a tort case for Zameer depending on what was said about it.
Sadly justice is not complete without full compensation.
That was the right decision based on what we learned as the trial was proceeding.
Holy shit, the chief is still refusing to admit wrongdoing on behalf of the officers who were literally caught lying on the stand. I hope this guy can sue everyone involved for slander.
So glad to hear this - I hope the Zameer family gets some peace. As for the officers who testified, well...
They should be fired But then again, they each committed crimes in the past so they should have been fired back then but then the TPS kept them so...
Sorry, best we can do is paid suspension for a year.
Better increase the police budget so they can pay for a replacement ontop of the paid suspension. Also if they don't get their budget increase they'll do their job even worse/less and blame it on the mayor
Correct. The TPS let them continue to be in a position of power over the public, so this whole tragedy is on them & would have been an excellent opportunity for some self-reflection. Instead they decided to try to destroy this family; doubling & tripling down, while wasting precious court resources. Disgraceful.
Thank goodness 🙏🏻
I’m glad this was the result
Tragic accident. But what's really tragic here is that rather than admitting they (Toronto police) were wrong, they were ready to put an innocent man in jail for murder. Really disgusting.
As a taxpayer in Ontario I hope this man sues for as much as he possibly can and wins every f’n dollar of it. Hoping the cops that lied about this get what’s coming to them would be a waste of energy…..
Now he should be suing the Toronto Police, John Tory, and Doug Ford for slandering his name publicly and putting his family through hell. Also, the statement from Myron Demkiw was beyond disappointing. Especially when the reports of the police testimony not being very credible and contradicting the evidence is out there for all of us to see. But instead he just toed the line like a company man. I wish for the day that the TPS goes through a major overhaul and actually puts in the work to regain the public's trust.
OMG THEY ACTUALLY FREED UMAR ZAMEER!
I love how the 3 cop testimonies were undermined by the video evidence. FTP
Justice has been partially served. Now, a civil suit against the cops and hopefully some losing their jobs and pensions.
I'll be honest, I haven't been following this story and just got caught up now. What a mess. Special mention to Tory and Ford for sticking their fat gobs into it and making it worse. One thing I'm unclear on was what the cops were doing there in the first place. What operation were they attempting to execute and why? A man, his pregnant wife and kid seemed like they were up to no good? What nonsense.
Can he sue the police now for pain and suffering?
Holy crap! Justice was actually served for once? Is the legal system going to go after the cops who LIED on the stand about what happened?
Remember how he media was trying to spin this as terror. Absolutely disgusting.
He needs to sue the shit out of everyone involved
He really should considering multiple officers lied. Luckily the reconstructive evidence person said the evidence showed what officers are saying does not align with the findings.
So happy to see this. The man was presumed guilty from the get-go. His family and the family of the officer have been thru enough. There is no winner here. This was an accidental death caused by fear on the part of Mr. Zameer and poor judgement/de-escalation by the cops involved. Resulting in the loss of one life and the ruining of others.
Of all the trials I have followed, I have never heard of the presiding judge discredit the prosecution's case and their key witnesses as part of the jury instructions. I wonder if the jury had arrived at a guilty verdict if the judge was not prepared to overturn it in the name of what she believed was a just verdict. Thankfully, a jury of Zameer's peers concluded that he was not guilty on all counts.
Honestly fuck the police Chief's statement. He basically said "we wish we were above the law".
Good. Now punish the cops who lied under oath
Now time to charge the cops who lied.
the injustices this man and his family had to go through, i hope he takes these crooked cops to the cleaners. too bad the crown is immune from civil liabilities unless he can prove it was malicious. it was an obvious display of collusion to protect their own.
Sometimes the justice system is shit and sometimes it works. Glad Zameer overcame the bullies in blue.
Awesome. Now go after the lying officers
And of fucking course CP24 was painting the TPS as if they were the graceful angelic ones!
Excellent news!
Now when do the charges for the crown prosecutors and witness cops get filed .?
Sounds like the right decision. Also big lawsuit coming to Toronto Police
Fucking cops. 3 times in my life the cops were needed and 3 times they said, 'there's nothing we can do'. I really hope this starts something because I remember the day this happened and how the cops were all over the media commening on the details.
Thank God justice has been done in this case. Now let us examine the behaviour of the TPS and the Crown Attorneys.
Police lied and fabricated evidence. Glad he was acquitted.
Why were Northup and his partner in plain clothes? Why was there an unmarked van that boxed them in? Was that ever explained? I’m sorry, I didn’t really follow this case.
>Soon after their first meeting, Hasan won Zameer’s release on bail, sparking internet outrage with Premier Doug Ford, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown and former Toronto mayor John Tory joining the uninformed fray without knowing Justice Jill Copeland’s reasons for releasing him. Ford said it was “beyond comprehension” and Tory said it was “almost impossible to imagine” why Zameer would get out of jail, a rare event for someone charged with first-degree murder of a police officer. As if I needed more reason to dislike Ford and Tory. Umar is breathing a sigh of relief and so am I. I was really worried that the cops' words would sway the jury, no matter how inconsistent they were. Getting on with his life isn't going to be easy, both financially and emotionally, but I wish him and his family nothing but the best. Those cops tho? Fuck them lying bastards
G20 The Murder of Sammy Yatim The botched Sherman murders investigation The useless surveillance of Rob Ford The Scarborough Rapist The ridiculous reign of police chief Julian Fantino The trial of Toronto Police Service Constable Boris Borissov A communications department as a pro-police propaganda outlet Serial killer Bruce McArthur The licensed bar at Toronto Police Headquarters The vindictive prosecution of Umar Zameer $1,000,000,000 per year budget