'A day that changes everything': Parliamentarian John McKay says shots fired inside Canada’s parliament sounded like dynamite.
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Ottawa: The Sergeant-at-Arms of Canada's Parliament is being hailed as a hero after shooting dead a gunman who burst into the parliament building during a spree that claimed the life of a Canadian solider.
Kevin Vickers, a former member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), shot the suspect dead, according to Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino.
"All the details are not in, but the sergeant-at-arms, a former Mountie, is the one that engaged the gunman, or one of them at least, and stopped this," Mr Fantino said. "He did a great job and, from what I know, shot the gunman and he is now deceased." The Sergeant-at-Arm's role is to keep order in parliament and participate in the daily parade that opens the deliberative body at the start of the session. The job is not usually associated with armed security.
Kudos and words of support flooded in over Twitter after the officer reportedly halted the attack in the Parliament building.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was addressing a meeting of legislators from his Conservative party in parliament on Wednesday when the armed man burst into the building and ran right by the door of the room, a cabinet minister told Reuters.
"PM was addressing caucus, then a huge boom, followed by rat-a-tat shots. We all scattered. It was clearly right outside our caucus door," Treasury Board Minister Tony Clement said. Mr Harper was later safely removed from the building, and parliament was locked down.
Police are still searching for two additional gunmen after the event which has put the Canadian capital in lockdown. A gunman earlier Wednesday shot and wounded the soldier as he stood guard at the memorial, then entered Parliament, where many shots rang out.
A hospital says it has received three victims from the shootings in Canada's capital. The Ottawa Hospital says it has taken in three patients, and two of them are in stable condition.
Canadian cabinet minister Jason Kenney said the soldier who was shot at the war memorial had died. He said a guard in parliament buildings had been wounded.
"Condolences to family of the soldier killed, and prayers for the parliamentary guard wounded. Canada will not be terrorized or intimidated," Kenney, one of Harper's most powerful ministers, said on Twitter.
A spokeswoman for the Canadian military said she could not confirm that the soldier had died and had no update on his condition.
Dramatic video footage posted by the Globe and Mail newspaper showed police with guns drawn inside the main parliament building. At least a dozen loud bangs can be heard on the clip, echoing through the hallway.
Reuters, AP