Toronto’s police chief is being criticized by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association for failing to apologize for the doubt he cast on Umar Zameer’s innocence following Sunday’s verdict.

A jury found the 34 year old accountant not guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Detective Constable Jeffrey Northrup, who Zameer mistakenly ran over and killed in the parking garage at Toronto City Hall in the early morning hours of July 2nd, 2021.

Chief Myron Demkiw told reporters on Sunday that “police were hoping for a different outcome,” which a statement from the CCLA says is a comment that undermines the public’s confidence in the administration of justice and publicly maligns criminal verdicts.

When asked about his controversial comments on Tuesday, the chief clarified his feelings on the verdict, which he also released in a statement on Monday.

“On Sunday, I thought that I was clear that I supported the justice system and the work of the jury,” Demkiw told reporters Tuesday, “As I look back, let me be emphatic about that and I appreciated the opportunity yesterday to clarify how emphatic I am. In my career, I have always been a supporter of the justice process including all elements of the system that leads us towards justice.”

In clarifying his comments, Chief Demkiw did not apologize for any confusion around his initial statement but did say he supports and accepts the verdict of the jury.

The statement from the CCLA also asks the Toronto Police Service Board what steps it will take to ensure Chief Myron Demkiw and other police force members “publicly malign bail decisions or criminal verdicts in the future.”