Subscribe
The Daily Grind Video
CLOSE

A gunman was shot dead after he shot a soldier at a war memorial in Ottawa, then ran into Canada’s parliament building where he led police on a gunfire riddled chase.

At least 30 shots were fired in the heart of the Canadian capital. It’s unclear if the suspect acted alone, but Ottawa police believe there was more than one shooter.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was in a caucus meeting in parliament when gunfire erupted in the building, Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino, a former policeman, told the Toronto Sun.

Harper was later safely removed from the building, and parliament was locked down.

Fantino said parliament’s head of security, Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers, a former member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), had shot a suspect dead.

“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,” Fantino said. “He did a great job and, from what I know, shot the gunman and he is now deceased.”

The soldier who was wounded in the shooting was taken into an ambulance to receive care, but reportedly died a short time later. CBC News reported that he was a reservist who had been serving in Hamilton, Ontario.

Police are canvassing the area and continuing their investigation into the identity of the suspect or suspects and a motive. Ottawa hospital says it received three patients following the shooting. Two are in stable condition.

We’ll keep you updated with the latest.

SOURCE: Reuters | VIDEO SOURCE: YouTube