Nathaniel Veltman murder trial: A recap of week 2

WARNING: The video and the details in this article may be disturbing to some viewers

The trial of Nathaniel Veltman, accused of running down members of the Afzaal family in London, Ont. on June 6, 2021 continued for the second week, and heard testimony from a cab driver, 9-1-1 dispatcher, a witness to the attack, and a detective from the London Police Service.

Here’s what you missed.

 

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 11

Opening statements were made at the Windsor Superior Courthouse on Sept. 11.

Federal prosecutor Sarah Shaikh presented the jury with the evidence the Crown intends to call, in which Veltman intentionally drove his pickup truck into the Afzaal family “because they were Muslims.”

“I was planning on killing,” Veltman told police, according to Shaikh. “I knew what I did. I don’t regret what I did. I admit that it was terrorism.”

The first witnesses to take the stand were an Afzaal family member who told the jury his family was “peace loving” and a forensic identification specialist with the London Police Service who seized and edited surveillance videos as part of the investigation.

 

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12

On Sept. 12, a cab driver and 9-1-1 dispatcher took the stand for the prosecution, while two videos and a 9-1-1 call were played for the jury.

In the first video, a heavily damaged black pickup truck entered a London shopping centre moments after a family of five was run down.

The defence has acknowledged the driver of the truck was Nathaniel Veltman.

In the second video, Veltman was seen pulling up beside a taxi cab. The jury heard the cab driver testify that the black pickup truck driver said to him, “Call the cops” followed by “I just hit someone. I just killed someone.”

When a 9-1-1 dispatcher asked for his name, the truck driver responded “Nate Veltman.” In the call with the dispatcher, Veltman said “It was me, it was me that did it. Come arrest me,” and when asked if he was injured replied, “No, I did it on purpose.”

Minutes later, London police arrived on scene, Veltman exited the truck, put his hands on his head and got to his knees to be arrested by two officers.

Surveillance video depicts the arrest of Nathaniel Veltman at a northwest London, Ont. shopping mall parking lot on June 6, 2021. (Source: Superior Court of Justice)

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13

Testimony continued on Sept. 13 in which witness Lindsay Marshall told the jury she heard “an engine rev,” drive through the intersection at Hyde Park Road, go up onto the sidewalk and drive into either a “mailbox or a sign.”

It wasn’t until an officer arrived on scene Marshall realized it was a person she saw thrown 30 to 40 feet in the air.

In the days after, the jury watched four hours of surveillance video of Veltman’s movements inside the headquarters of the London Police Service following his arrest. In the video, Veltman was seen wearing a white t-shirt with a cross on it, pants no shoes on, and was not handcuffed.

An officer described him as “cooperative” during his arrest.

 

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14

On Sept. 14, the jury was shown nearby surveillance video that depicted the moments leading up to the crash. The video depicts the Afzaal family walking near the intersection of Hyde Park Road and South Carriage Road on June 6, 2021.

A black pickup truck is seen travelling north on Hyde Park Road while the family of five stand near the intersection. The court has previously heard that the pickup truck then made a U-turn and seconds later, the truck was seen speeding southbound in the direction of the family.

The video was edited by the court to stop before the moment of impact.

Video from the Superior Court of Justice depicts the moments before the Afzaal family was struck by a black pickup truck in London, Ont. on June 6, 2021. (Source: Superior Court of Justice)

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15

In the final day of week two, the jury watched surveillance videos of Veltman’s interview with police after the attack.

Veltman told police he became interested in politics during the 2016 U.S. presidential election and told police, “That’s the moment I discovered the media was dishonest...I went right down the rabbit hole.” He later said he felt like he was in jail and going insane during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The jury heard Veltman tell police he did not regret doing what he did and claimed it was revenge for crimes he believed were committed by Muslims. He acknowledged that he killed four members of the Afzaal family by crashing into them, and knew they were Muslim based on the clothes they were wearing.

“I decided this is it, I’m going to commit a terrorist attack...I wanted to give Muslims a taste of their own medicine,” he told police.

— With files from CTV News London’s Nick Paparella and CTV News Windsor’s Michelle Maluske