Three Toronto police officers accused of colluding to provide false testimony during the first-degree murder trial linked to a colleague’s death have been exonerated following an Ontario Provincial Police investigation.
Investigation Overview
The OPP released a comprehensive 55-page report detailing its review of testimony from Detective Constables Lisa Forbes, Scharnil Pais, and Antonio Correa. The probe examined their accounts of the 2021 incident when Detective Constable Jeffrey Northrup was fatally struck in a Toronto City Hall parking garage.
“The OPP investigative review has concluded that the opinions expressed by the trial judge regarding alleged dishonesty and collusion among Detective Constables Forbes, Pais, and Correa are not supported by the evidence,” the OPP stated.
Background of the Fatal Collision
On July 2, 2021, Northrup, a 31-year veteran, and his partner Forbes, both in plainclothes, searched an underground parking lot near Nathan Phillips Square for a stabbing suspect. They encountered Correa and Pais in an unmarked minivan.
Forbes approached Umar Zameer’s vehicle, which partially matched the suspect description, knocked on the window, identified herself as police, and displayed her badge. Zameer, accompanied by his pregnant wife and young child and uninvolved in the stabbing, drove away, striking and killing Northrup. Correa and Pais then rammed Zameer’s BMW, leading to his arrest.
Trial Judge’s Concerns
During Zameer’s 2024 trial, Ontario Superior Court Justice Anne Molloy instructed the jury to consider potential collusion among the officers. She noted inconsistencies between their statements and physical evidence regarding Northrup’s position when struck.
“When three versions of the event are wrong, and wrong in the same way, you must also consider whether there has been collusion between those witnesses,” Molloy stated.
In her post-trial decision, Molloy asserted the officers inaccurately claimed Northrup stood directly in front of the 2011 BMW 5 Series. “Further, the fact that their versions dovetail so closely with each other and with Officer Forbes leads me to the inexorable conclusion that they not only lied, but they colluded to lie,” she wrote. Zameer was acquitted, and Molloy apologized to him.
OPP Collision Analysis
Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw requested the independent OPP review. The report raised concerns about crash reconstruction experts’ theories, which relied on low-quality video while ignoring key evidence like Northrup’s fingerprints on the vehicle’s hood.
An OPP reconstructionist, using enhanced surveillance footage, determined Zameer’s BMW accelerated forward, striking Northrup at its front left corner while he stood. The vehicle showed no marks consistent with a reverse glancing contact, and dust patterns supported forward motion impact.
“The primary cause of this collision was from the BMW accelerating forward and striking a standing Detective Constable Northrup at its front left corner,” the report concluded.
No Evidence of Collusion
The OPP found limited opportunities for collusion. Post-incident, Forbes was at St. Michael’s Hospital, separate from Pais and Correa at Mount Sinai, with witnesses confirming no discussions. Text messages exchanged were unrelated to coordinating testimony and included condolences to Northrup’s wife.
Forbes, in a statement to the OPP, described her trauma: “She stated she may have forgotten some things through the trauma of the incident and the passage of time, but she has never and can never forget exactly how the collision happened because it was and remained etched in her brain.” She was “stunned and confused” by suggestions of lying.
Reactions and Next Steps
Toronto Police Association President Clayton Campbell demanded a public apology from Molloy: “Today, I clearly say to Justice Molloy: you were wrong.” He highlighted the officers’ public shaming and noted no evidence supported claims of guns pointed at Zameer and his wife.
Chief Demkiw focused on the clearance: “Our three officers have been cleared of something that has been investigated thoroughly by the OPP.”
Zameer’s lawyer, Nader Hasan, expressed misgivings: “We await the release of this report with serious misgivings… this process does not inspire confidence.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford praised the OPP: “I think there’s no police service in the country that’s more credible than the OPP. They’re going to be transparent.”
The TPA plans discussions with the officers on potential legal action.
