A soldier at the National War Memorial in Ottawa has been killed as Ottawa Police confirm a shooting has taken place on Parliament Hill.
Police received a call at 9:52am with a report of shots fired.
It is unknown how many shooters are involved. Through the Ottawa Police’s Twitter page, one suspect has been killed but there is no one in custody at this time.
Early reports say that incidents occurred on Parliament Hill, the National War Memorial, and the Rideau Centre. A release from Ottawa Police says reports about the Rideau Centre are false.
London’s MPs are confirmed to be safe.
In lockdown from shooters. Safe right now from gunman. Very scary. #ldnont
— Susan Truppe, M.P. (@SusanTruppe) October 22, 2014Doug Rice, who is the executive assistant to London West MP Ed Holder, says you can never be prepared for something like this.
“This is terrifying. It’s horrible. You can never say you’re completely prepared for every scenario. How do you protect yourself against the lone wolf?
Prayers for the soldier who was shot at the War Memorial.
— Ed Holder (@EdHolder_MP) October 22, 2014Witnesses say the gunman was carrying a a shotgun and wearing a mask or a scarf. Parliament Hill reporter Murray Brewster says the attacker apparently hijacked a car and then drove up the Centre Block.
“It was a scene of pandemonium on Wellington St. which runs straight in front of parliament,” he says. “You had people screaming the moment they heard the shots and saw the man running towards parliament with the rifle.”
Prime Minister Stephen Harper is safe and was expected to attend a ceremony to make Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai an honourary Canadian citizen. That has since been canceled.
