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Canadian Soldier Shot Near Parliament in Ottawa Canadian Soldier Dead After Attack Near Parliament in Ottawa
(about 1 hour later)
OTTAWA — One or more gunmen traumatized the heart of the Canadian capital on Wednesday, with one shooting a military guard at the National War Memorial and then entering the adjacent Parliament building, where multiple rounds were fired. OTTAWA — The heart of the Canadian capital was traumatized and placed in emergency police lockdown on Wednesday after a gunman fatally wounded a soldier guarding the National War Memorial, entered the nearby Parliament building and fired multiple times before he was shot and killed.
Police officers rushed to secure the Parliament building and move occupants to safety as they hunted for what Canadian news reports said were possibly two or three assailants. The shooting incident had the appearance of a coordinated attack, which upended a busy day in the capital and paralyzed much of the city. It was the second deadly assault on a uniformed member of Canada’s armed forces in three days. While the motive was unclear, the Ottawa attack heightened fears that Canada, a strong ally of the United States, had been targeted in an organized terrorist plot.
The soldier died later at a hospital, the Ottawa police confirmed in a statement. Police also said that no shooting occurred near the Rideau Centre, a shopping mall, despite earlier reports of an incident. The Canadian authorities provided F.B.I. agents with the name of the dead Parliament assailant, law enforcement officials in Washington said. By midafternoon Wednesday, a search of F.B.I. databases had not come up with anything, they said. They declined to reveal the gunman’s name.
The shootings came amid heightened concern about terrorist attacks in Canada. Two days earlier, a radical jihadist ran over two soldiers at a suburban Montreal strip mall, killing one of them. Prime Minister Stephen Harper, an outspoken critic of the Islamic State movement and other militant groups, has been considering the introduction of new antiterrorism legislation. Police officers rushed to secure the Parliament building and move occupants to safety as they hunted for what Canadian news reports said were possibly two or three assailants.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported that one assailant in Ottawa was killed. Video taken by a journalist inside Parliament’s Hall of Honor appeared to show a gunman being struck down by police gunfire. The police would not confirm the reports. The police declined to specify how many more gunmen — if any — they might be seeking, but told reporters at a news conference that the situation was “dynamic and unfolding.”
The soldier died later at a hospital and the gunman was killed inside the Parliament building, the Ottawa police confirmed in a statement. The Canadian Press, without attribution, said the sergeant-at-arms, Kevin Vickers, 58, had killed the gunman.
The shootings came amid heightened concern among Canadians about terrorist attacks. Two days earlier, a radical jihadist ran over two soldiers at a suburban Montreal strip mall, killing one of them. Mr. Harper, an outspoken critic of the Islamic State movement and other militant groups, has been considering the introduction of new antiterrorism legislation.
The Ottawa Hospital said in a statement that it was treating three people for wounds related to the shooting.The Ottawa Hospital said in a statement that it was treating three people for wounds related to the shooting.
Marc Soucy, a representative of the Ottawa Police Service, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that officers were looking for “multiple suspects” in shootings at three locations. The shooting upended a busy day in the capital and paralyzed much of the city. A hockey game here between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators was postponed, the National Hockey League announced.
The United States Embassy in Ottawa also reported that it was in lockdown mode, in an advisory to American citizens posted on its website. The United States Embassy in Ottawa reported that it was in lockdown mode, in an advisory to American citizens posted on its website.
The shootings in Ottawa began about 10 a.m., just as the leaders of the three major parties in Parliament were holding their weekly meetings, suggesting the possibility of the attack being deliberate timed. Many of the lawmakers were rushed into secure rooms in the basement by guards. The police told reporters that they began getting multiple 911 calls about shootings in the Parliament area at 9:52 a.m., just as the leaders of the three major parties in Parliament were holding their weekly meetings, suggesting the possibility that the attack had been deliberately timed for when many lawmakers would have been working. Many of the lawmakers were rushed into secure rooms in the basement by guards.
“I heard the shots as I was walking into a conference meeting,” said Chrystia Freeland, a member of Parliament from Toronto, speaking by cellphone from a windowless room in the basement. “I’m surrounded by more than a dozen House of Commons security guards.”“I heard the shots as I was walking into a conference meeting,” said Chrystia Freeland, a member of Parliament from Toronto, speaking by cellphone from a windowless room in the basement. “I’m surrounded by more than a dozen House of Commons security guards.”
Mr. Harper had been inside Parliament at the time of the shooting but several witnesses saw him taken away in a motorcade. The entire downtown area was placed on lockdown as police reinforcements arrived, with thousands of workers trapped in office towers. Mr. Harper had been inside Parliament at the time of the shooting but several witnesses saw him taken away in a motorcade. The entire downtown area was placed on lockdown as police reinforcements arrived, leaving thousands of workers trapped in office towers.
Convoys carrying heavily armed police officers continued to race into the area hours after the first shots were fired, apparently in the hunt for the other gunman. But the normally congested streets were otherwise ghostlike. As the hours passed, the police extended their perimeter of closed roads ensnaring the core in a ring of gridlock. There had been early reports of a shooting in a shopping mall near Parliament but the Ottawa police said those reports were incorrect.
Convoys carrying heavily armed police officers continued to race into the area hours after the first shots were fired, apparently in the hunt for other possible gunmen. But the normally congested streets were otherwise ghostlike. As the hours passed, the police extended their perimeter of closed roads ensnaring the core in a ring of gridlock.
The Ottawa Police and Royal Canadian Mounted Police warned the public in a Twitter post to “stay away from the downtown Ottawa area.”The Ottawa Police and Royal Canadian Mounted Police warned the public in a Twitter post to “stay away from the downtown Ottawa area.”
Witnesses reported seeing the gunman who shot the soldier running into the House of Commons and firing dozens of rounds. Some witnesses said that he had hijacked a passing car to make the trip to the principal Parliament building in the area, known as Parliament Hill. The assailant’s identity and motive were not clear. Witnesses reported seeing the gunman who shot the soldier running into the House of Commons and firing dozens of rounds. Some witnesses said that he had hijacked a passing car to make the trip to the principal Parliament building in the area, known as Parliament Hill.
A special ambulance, modified from a transit bus to handle disasters, stood nearby Parliament Hill at the Supreme Court, as did several paramedics, some wearing helmets and body armor.A special ambulance, modified from a transit bus to handle disasters, stood nearby Parliament Hill at the Supreme Court, as did several paramedics, some wearing helmets and body armor.
Journalists covering Parliament were ordered by police officers at gunpoint to lie on the floor in the foyer in front of the House of Commons, The Globe and Mail reported on its website. The Globe and Mail’s correspondent, Josh Wingrove, said in a series of Twitter posts that the hallways were filled with the smell of gunpowder.Journalists covering Parliament were ordered by police officers at gunpoint to lie on the floor in the foyer in front of the House of Commons, The Globe and Mail reported on its website. The Globe and Mail’s correspondent, Josh Wingrove, said in a series of Twitter posts that the hallways were filled with the smell of gunpowder.
Dozens of Royal Canadian Mounted Police squad cars as well as one armored police vehicle converged on Parliament Hill’s Centre Block, as heavily armed officers wearing bulletproof vests went into the complex.Dozens of Royal Canadian Mounted Police squad cars as well as one armored police vehicle converged on Parliament Hill’s Centre Block, as heavily armed officers wearing bulletproof vests went into the complex.