Jury Hears Forensic Evidence in Fatal East London Shooting Trial

Key Points

• The jury in Zachary McDermott’s second-degree murder trial heard detailed forensic evidence concerning the 2018 fatal shooting of Christopher Clements-Card in east London, Ontario.
• Det. Const. Andrea McGrath-Wheatley, a forensic investigative specialist with London police, was the only witness to testify on the latest court day.
• Two spent 9-mm copper-jacketed bullets were recovered from the Tim Hortons crime scene: one inside the restaurant’s entrance vestibule and another in an alley beside the premises.
• Evidence presented to the jury indicated that the alley bullet travelled eastwards past the front of the Tim Hortons, through a chain-link fence and hedge and possibly struck the rear wall of a nearby retail plaza.
• Clements-Card died in hospital after being shot twice in the back, according to the Crown’s opening statement.
• McDermott, now 26, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder.
• The identity of the shooter is not disputed in the trial; the central issues include why McDermott fired the shots and what his intent was.
• The prosecution has presented surveillance footage showing events involving Clements-Card, McDermott and others before and during the shooting.
• Earlier footage showed a confrontation between Clements-Card and McDermott at the townhome of Clements-Card’s girlfriend, Savannah Boyle, about 30 minutes before the shooting.
• Police evidence included photographs of blood, Clements-Card’s clothing and belongings, the crime scene, the recovered bullets and photographs of McDermott after his arrest.
• A Gucci satchel belonging to Clements-Card contained identification documents, cannabis, cash, jewellery, keys and other personal items.
• The jury was also shown photographs of a black SUV near the Tim Hortons that had damage to one tyre, although police did not conduct a forensic examination of that damage.
• The Crown’s witness schedule was altered following a legal issue that arose the previous week, resulting in a shorter court day.

The Londoner News (TLN) October 6, 2026 – The jury in the second-degree murder trial of Zachary McDermott heard forensic evidence detailing the location of bullets, blood and other physical evidence connected to the fatal shooting of Christopher Clements-Card at an east London Tim Hortons in 2018. London police Det. Const. Andrea McGrath-Wheatley took the jury through crime-scene photographs and evidence as the Crown continued presenting its case. The prosecution maintains that Clements-Card was shot twice in the back and later died in hospital, while the defence has pleaded not guilty and the trial is focused in significant part on McDermott’s reasons for firing and his intent at the time.

The evidence presented in court was focused on reconstructing the physical circumstances surrounding the shooting rather than establishing whether McDermott was the person who fired the gun. According to the material supplied for this report, there is no dispute over the identity of the shooter.

The case concerns the death of Clements-Card on September 12, 2018, outside a Tim Hortons on Dundas Street East in London, Ontario. McDermott, who was 18 at the time of the shooting and is now 26, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder.

The Crown’s opening statement told the jury that Clements-Card was shot twice in the back and died in hospital. The prosecution’s case has included surveillance footage from several locations around east London, together with testimony and physical evidence intended to establish the sequence of events.

A separate report by Nick Paparella of CFPL-TV, identified in publicly available reporting as covering the second week of the trial, also described the jury hearing forensic evidence from Det. Const. McGrath-Wheatley concerning the bloody scene following the shooting.

What did forensic investigators tell the jury about the bullets?

The jury was shown evidence involving two spent 9-mm copper-jacketed bullets recovered at the crime scene.

One bullet was found inside the vestibule at the entrance to the Tim Hortons. The second was located in the middle of an alley separating the restaurant from a small retail plaza.

McGrath-Wheatley’s evidence was significant because the position of the second bullet allowed investigators to examine a possible trajectory through the area surrounding the restaurant.

According to the evidence presented, the bullet found in the alley appeared to have travelled eastwards past the entire front of the Tim Hortons. It then passed through a chain-link fence and a hedge before possibly striking the rear wall of the nearby retail plaza and ultimately coming to rest on the ground.

Photographs shown to the jury included the precise location where the bullet was recovered. Officers also photographed what appeared to be chipped pieces from the brick wall.

The evidence does not, by itself, determine the legal question of McDermott’s intent. Rather, it provides the jury with physical information that can be considered alongside surveillance footage, witness testimony and other evidence presented during the trial.

A publicly available summary attributed to The Toronto Sun likewise identifies the forensic evidence as including two spent 9-mm bullets, one recovered from the vestibule and another from the adjoining alley.

What did the jury see about blood evidence inside the Tim Hortons?

McGrath-Wheatley guided jurors through photographs showing blood inside the Tim Hortons and in the area where Clements-Card was moved after he was shot.

Blood was visible in the entrance vestibule, where one of the bullets was found. Other photographs showed the area near a garbage and recycling receptacle close to the restaurant’s washrooms.

Connor Clements, who was with Clements-Card, dragged the injured man towards that area after the shooting. Photographs showed blood on the floor as well as medical debris left by emergency responders before Clements-Card was taken to hospital.

The photographs formed part of the broader forensic presentation to the jury.

The purpose of such evidence in the trial is to help establish what happened at the scene and where relevant physical evidence was located. The jury will ultimately have to assess that evidence together with the other material presented by the Crown and defence.

What surveillance evidence has already been presented to the jury?

The Crown’s case has included surveillance footage from a number of cameras in the area.

The jury previously heard that Clements-Card had a confrontation at the townhome of his girlfriend, Savannah Boyle, roughly 30 minutes before the fatal shooting.

According to the supplied court report, Clements-Card punched McDermott during that confrontation.

Security footage showed Clements-Card arguing with Boyle in the street. Other footage showed McDermott using his cellphone from another position across the residential complex before he left in a silver Chevrolet Cruze.

Further cameras from nearby businesses subsequently captured Clements-Card and his cousin, Connor Clements, walking towards the Tim Hortons.

A Copp’s Buildall camera facing the Tim Hortons captured footage that the Crown says showed McDermott and two other people travelling to the area near the entrance. The footage showed the three getting out of their vehicle, followed by the shooting, and then leaving the area.

A separate account of the early Crown evidence reported that surveillance cameras tracked the movements of both men before the shooting. That report said the jury was shown footage from several nearby locations and heard evidence from London police Det.-Sgt. Jon Pain.

Why is McDermott’s intent central to the murder trial?

The trial is not principally about identifying who fired the shots.

The supplied court report states that there is no dispute about whether McDermott was the shooter. The question for the jury includes why he shot Clements-Card and what his intention was when he fired.

That distinction is central to the charge before the court.

McDermott has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. The jury must therefore consider the evidence presented during the trial and determine the relevant facts and legal issues under the judge’s instructions.

The earlier confrontation between McDermott and Clements-Card is therefore an important part of the chronology presented to the jury. It provides context for what happened during the approximately 30-minute period between the confrontation and the shooting.

The surveillance evidence is being considered alongside the forensic evidence rather than in isolation.

What personal belongings belonging to Clements-Card were examined in court?

Among the items photographed and presented to the jury was a two-pouch Gucci satchel belonging to Clements-Card.

The bag was found on the countertop of a garbage receptacle inside the Tim Hortons.

Police recovered several personal documents from the satchel, including Clements-Card’s birth certificate, a pay stub and an immunisation card.

The remaining contents were also inventoried.

One pouch contained a baggie with some marijuana and a pair of pink tweezers. The other contained a large amount of cash and spare change. The total amount of money was recorded as $2,787.30.

The bag also contained a key and fob, a gold chain, a gold cross and a gold watch.

These items were documented as part of the police investigation and were shown to jurors during the forensic evidence presentation.

What clothing and other items were shown to the jury?

Photographs of Clements-Card’s grey Champion shorts were presented to the jury. The shorts were stained with blood and were the clothing he was wearing when he was shot.

Other personal items photographed for the investigation included a set of keys, sunglasses and an iPhone.

Those items were passed to police from the hospital after Clements-Card was taken there following the shooting.

The jury also watched a nine-minute video of the crime scene.

The combination of photographs, video and testimony allowed the forensic witness to explain the location and condition of evidence documented by investigators.

What did police document after McDermott’s arrest?

The jury was also shown photographs of McDermott following his arrest on September 21, 2018, nine days after the shooting.

The photographs captured marks on several parts of his body, including his forehead, chin, the side of his face, upper chest and hands.

The existence of those marks was documented in the photographic evidence presented by the forensic investigator. Their significance, if any, remains a matter for the court to assess in the context of all the evidence.

McDermott had been sought by police following the shooting.

Contemporary reporting from Blackburn News by Miranda Chant recorded that police had identified McDermott as a suspect after the September 12 shooting and that an arrest warrant had been issued before he was arrested.

What was shown about the black SUV near the Tim Hortons?

Another part of the forensic presentation concerned a black SUV that had been parked on the south side of the Tim Hortons near the entrance when the shooting occurred.

Photographs showed damage to one of the vehicle’s tyres.

However, McGrath-Wheatley told the jury that police did not conduct a forensic investigation of that damage.

That qualification is important because the presence of damage does not, on its own, establish a connection between the vehicle and the shooting.

The photographs were nevertheless included in the evidence presented to the jury as investigators documented the surrounding crime scene.

Why was Monday’s court session shorter than expected?

The court did not sit on the Friday before the latest evidence because of legal arguments.

At the conclusion of McGrath-Wheatley’s evidence, Justice Patricia Moore explained to the jury that the Crown had been required to rearrange its witness list because of a legal issue that arose during the previous week.

The Crown had expected to call another witness on Monday, but that witness was unavailable.

As a result, McGrath-Wheatley’s evidence became the principal business before the court that day, producing a shorter trial session.

The development illustrates that the presentation of a criminal case can change as legal issues are considered by the judge and the parties.

What is known about the original 2018 shooting?

Clements-Card was fatally shot on September 12, 2018, outside the east London Tim Hortons on Dundas Street East.

Contemporary reporting by Miranda Chant for Blackburn News said Clements-Card, aged 21 at the time, was shot in the Tim Hortons parking lot and died in hospital. That reporting also said another person who was with him was not physically injured.

Police initially sought McDermott in connection with the shooting. A subsequent Blackburn News report by Chant said police released an image of McDermott from surveillance footage and that he was facing first-degree murder and attempted-murder charges at that stage of the investigation.

The case has since reached trial, where the charge before the court is second-degree murder and McDermott has pleaded not guilty.

The current proceedings therefore concern the evidence and legal issues arising from the prosecution of the case rather than the initial police investigation alone.

What evidence will the jury have to consider as the trial continues?

The jury is being presented with several different forms of evidence.

These include surveillance recordings, forensic photographs, physical evidence recovered from the scene, testimony from police investigators and evidence concerning the events immediately preceding the shooting.

The forensic testimony from McGrath-Wheatley provides one part of that evidential picture.

The Crown’s earlier evidence has also included footage tracing the movements of Clements-Card and McDermott before they arrived at the Tim Hortons.

A recent CFPL-TV report by Nick Paparella said the jury had also heard from its first civilian witness during the trial, retired trucker Robert Dawson, who described what he saw outside the Tim Hortons on the afternoon of September 12, 2018.

The jury will ultimately be required to consider the evidence as a whole rather than treating any individual photograph, video recording or witness account as determinative on its own.

What does the forensic evidence establish at this stage of the trial?

The forensic evidence establishes that investigators documented bullets, blood, clothing, personal property and other physical features of the crime scene.

It also provides a basis for examining the apparent route of one of the bullets through the area surrounding the Tim Hortons.

However, the evidence presented so far does not itself amount to a finding of guilt.

McDermott remains before the court with a plea of not guilty. The jury has yet to hear all of the evidence and must wait for the remainder of the trial and the judge’s legal instructions before reaching a verdict.

That distinction is particularly important in a case where the identity of the shooter is not the principal disputed issue and where the jury is being asked to consider the circumstances and intent surrounding the shooting.

What is the background to the McDermott trial?

The case stems from the September 12, 2018 shooting that killed Christopher Clements-Card outside the east London Tim Hortons.

Police investigations following the shooting led to McDermott being identified as a suspect. Contemporary reporting documented the search for him and his eventual arrest on September 21, 2018.

The prosecution’s case at the present trial has included evidence about events shortly before the shooting, surveillance footage from the surrounding area and physical evidence recovered from the Tim Hortons.

The trial is now examining those events through testimony and exhibits presented to the jury.

The court has heard that the shooting occurred after an earlier confrontation involving McDermott and Clements-Card. The Crown has also presented footage that it says shows McDermott and two others arriving near the Tim Hortons before Clements-Card was shot.

As the proceedings continue, further witness testimony and legal arguments are expected to determine how the jury evaluates the evidence and the competing positions of the prosecution and defence.

What could the trial’s forensic evidence mean for the jury?

For people following criminal proceedings in London, Ontario, the forensic evidence provides a detailed record of how investigators reconstructed the scene of the 2018 shooting.

The bullet locations, photographs, blood evidence, clothing and surveillance recordings give the jury multiple sources from which to assess the prosecution’s account.

The evidence could therefore be important when jurors consider the sequence of events and the circumstances in which the shots were fired.

However, the eventual outcome will depend on the complete body of evidence admitted during the trial and the legal directions given by Justice Patricia Moore. The evidence presented during the latest court session is one part of that wider process.