[7] At trial, the court found that Miller and two friends were "essentially caught by Michael and Christian Theriault in the act of stealing items from the vehicle".
[18] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in a rare event and for the first time for the Ontario Superior Court, the verdict was read live over YouTube.
[10][19] Despite the live stream having been open and freely accessible online throughout the duration of the reading, the law still prohibited taking photos, screengrabs, or recordings of court proceedings.
"[21] Jagmeet Singh, leader of the federal New Democratic Party, stated on Twitter that "[t]he violence perpetrated against Dafonte Miller is a painful example of police acting with impunity", and called for various reforms in response.
[23] Chief Ramer, during a press conference, went on to say "[a]s a result of that decision, trust has been broken between the police, Dafonte Miller and the broader community.
[25] John Struthers, president of Ontario's Criminal Lawyers' Association, said that "after a thorough and methodical review of the evidence" the judge could not conclude this was "street justice", and "the really critical thing to remember is that we cannot expect any specific case to be guided by, influenced by or poisoned by the current political climate".