Soldier dies in chaotic Parliament Hill attack, Jason Kenney says....

A Canadian soldier and a security guard were shot in Ottawa.

A Canadian soldier standing guard at the National War Memorial in Ottawa was shot.

By: Les Whittington Ottawa Bureau reporter, Joanna Smith Ottawa Bureau reporter, Published on Wed Oct 22 2014

   

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OTTAWA — A Canadian soldier was killed and a Parliament Hill security guard wounded Wednesday morning in a chaotic attack on the nation’s capital that police believe involves more than one assailant.
Conservative cabinet minister Jason Kenney confirmed the death of the soldier.
“Condolences to family of the solider killed (and) prayers for the parliamentary guard wounded,” Kenney, the minister of employment and social development posted to Twitter.
“Canada will not be terrorized or intimidated,” Kenney wrote.
Conservative MP John Williamson said on Twitter that he and his colleagues had learned the news through caucus.

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UPDATED: Soldier shot at National War Memorial

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Sirens blared and buildings in the area went under lockdown Wednesday morning as police and soldiers continued the manhunt.

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Adrian Wyld / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Paramedics and police pull a shootign victim away from the Canadian War Memorial in Ottawa.
Shootings occurred at the National War Memorial, Parliament Hill and near the Rideau Centre, Ottawa police said.
Const. Marc Soucy said just before noon Tuesday that nobody had been arrested. Police are going under the assumption there is more than one shooter.
Police cars and emergency vehicles were clustered at the foot of the Peace Tower and the Centre Block was being evacuated. RCMP warned that anyone in downtown Ottawa should stay away from windows and roofs.

Alleged locations of shooting in Ottawa

Two patients in stable condition were admitted to Ottawa civic hospital. One suffered a gunshot wound that was not life threatening. The other had undisclosed injuries but no gunshot wound.
Police set up an ever-expanding cordon around the Hill, shutting down streets and pushing pedestrians and journalists further back as additional police vehicles and officers flooded into the scene. A police command post was set on Metcalfe St. across from Parliament Hill.
Ottawa police confirmed they had a call at 9:52 a.m. with a report of shots fired. Paramedics performed CPR on the soldier at the memorial before he was transported to hospital.
Globe and Mail reporter Josh Wingrove films shooting in Parliament Hill building
Witness Alain Merizier said one suspect was carrying a hunting rifle. The suspect had dark hair, was wearing civilian clothes and driving a black car, Merizier said.

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Adrian Wyld / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Paramedics and police pull a shootign victim away from the Canadian War Memorial in Ottawa.
Reporters and parliamentary staff reported dozens of shots in the hallways about 45 minutes after the incident. But by late morning, the hunt for an assailant or assailants was still under way.
It was caucus day for the federal parties, so members of Parliament and senators were locked down in the hallways near the Commons.
Spokespeople for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau said all were safe and in secure locations.
Joshua Johnston, co-owner of Atwill-Morin, a stone masonry company, was being hailed as a hero after he shepherded as many as 25 Parliament Hill workers to safety.
“One woman froze, some were infirm and didn't move very quickly, but ultimately they listened and it went smoothly,” Johnston said.
One woman opened a window and punched out a screen and was prepared to jump nine metres before Johnston and co-workers built a rudimentary scaffold and carried her to safety.
With as many as six police sharpshooters massed outside, they clambered to safety and took shelter behind rocks.
“We didn't know where (the shooter) was or how many there were there,” he said.
“But it sounded like he was just down the hall.”
New Democrat MP Charlie Angus said he and his colleagues heard several rounds of heavy gunfire he said sounded as if it was coming from right outside the door.
Angus said MPs and staffers tried to barricade the door with tables and lay down on the floor as they heard what he said was at least two rounds of gunshots followed by another few shots.
“People put up furniture. We put tables against the door. We lay down. You’ve never been through this before. You don’t know what the routine is other than what you have seen in the movies, so we didn’t know if someone was going to be able to try and get in,” Angus said.
“We were on the floor and then security came and they were very, very, very serious,” Angus said by telephone from his office on Sparks St., after having evacuated the building.
“They told us to run, to stay down and to stay along the walls,” Angus said.
Angus said three NDP MPs — Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe, Anne Minh-Thu Quach and Rosanne Doré Lefebvre — were worried about their children, who were in the building, and did not want to leave without them.
All three children are safe.
Conservative MP Maurice Vellacott says his staff was told by Commons security there were as many as three gunmen and one was dead. Police haven’t confirmed that.
Vellacott was escorting a group of parents and children through security one floor below main entrance when he heard a gunshot.
Security staff quickly hustled the group out of the building through a tunnel to East Block. He said several of the group remain under lockdown in East Block.
The incident comes just two days after two Canadian soldiers were run over — and one of them killed — in Quebec by a man with jihadist sympathies.
The incident on Parliament Hill was an unprecedented breach of security, according to eyewitnesses.
With files from Star staff and wire services....