Multiple shootings in Canadian parliment, at war memorial, in nearby mall.

[Gee Whillickers]

This is still an ongoing situation, but most of the nation's capital and all MP offices across the country are in lockdown.

Several armed men (conflicting reports about number, possibly three) have engaged in live fire with police and soldiers at several

locations throughout Ottawa.

A gunman approached an almost unarmed, mostly ceremonial, soldier (one of the guys that stands there and looks pretty while answering tourist's questions) in front of the War Memorial and shot the soldier. It is unconfirmed if he has survived.

At roughly the same time, another gunman was firing shots in Parliament. The Sergeant-At-Arms on duty (and the winner of multiple sharp-shooting competitions) took the gunman down.

There are also reports of shots fired at nearby Rideau Shopping Mall.

Also, less than two days ago a suspected jihadist man ran over two off duty soldiers with his car in Quebec, killing one. The man was shot and killed by police.

Schools, universities, government buildings, and many other buildings throughout the Ottawa core are in lockdown. The Prime Minister is sequestered.

There is no official word on the source of these shootings. However, the timing is interesting in that a squadron of F18's, support aircraft, and surveillance aircraft were sent over to join in anti-ISIS operations yesterday. Several days ago ISIS has made several calls for attacks against Canada.

The situation is ongoing and still developing.

Things aren't pleasant in the Great White North at the moment, folks.....

Here's some of the coverage.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/parliament-hill-attack-1-gunman-dead-after-soldier-shot-at-national-war-memorial-1.2808710

Edit:

The soldier at the National War Memorial has been confirmed to have been killed. This man was a reservist from Hamilton, who was spending a week of his vacation to stand guard and answer questions at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the National War Memorial. His name has not yet been released until family and next-of-kin can be talked to.

The gunman shot in Parliament by the Sergeant-at-arms has been confirmed killed.

The situation continues to evolve.

Edit 2:

Here's video captured by Global News of the shooting incident in Parliament:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/breaking-news-oct-22/article21217602/?click=sf_globe#dashboard/follows/

Here's the youtube video of the parliament shooting, in case the news video is taken off the page:

The RCMP are expected to brief the public shortly. The Prime Minister is expected to address the nation sometime later today.

Edit 3:

All Canadian soldiers have been ordered to stay in civilian clothes when off-duty in public. This is a remarkable and unprecedented occurrence.

Many consulates and embassies in Ottawa are closed and have massively increased security, including the Swedish, Finnish, Polish, Isreali, US, and British embassies.

Edit 4:

Word now is that the shooter of the soldier at the War Memorial and the shooter in parliament may have been the same individual, who simply ran across the street into parliament after the War Memorial shooting. This is unconfirmed.

Kevin Vickers, the sergeant-at-arms in parliament, is being considered a hero. At one point, after running out of ammunition, he ran back into his office, reloaded, than ran back into the fray.

[Cole Parker]

You stay safe, Todd!

C

[Gee Whillickers]

Boy, heavily armed police and soldiers are everywhere on the street. Especially around public buildings and subways.

[Gee Whillickers]

Okay, now you know it's serious:

The NHL hockey game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators has been postponed. Now the rest of the nation will notice what's going on....

[Cole Parker]

Priorities: if you're you're a guardsman, whom do you protect first, a politician or a hockey player?

C

[TalonRider]

I hope the Authorities have a better time finding and catching those involved.

It was almost six weeks ago a sniper shot two Pennsylvania State Police officers, killing one. They know did the shooting and have been unable to find him, tho he has been spotted recently.

[Nigel Gordon]

Priorities: if you're you're a guardsman, whom do you protect first, a politician or a hockey player?

C

Just calculate whose loss would cause least damage to the overall level of national intelligence, then protect the other.

[Merkin]

I was I my car running errands this morning and I happened to tune in to the CBC Ottawa around ten o'clock. I couldn't believe my ears. All my fantasies about Canada as my ultimate refuge from the crazies here in the States are gone, poof, just like that.

[Chris James]

It seems the gunman was 32 years of age and a recent convert to Islam....

If the Muslim community in the U.S and Canada hopes to survive the backlash from this event they need to begin screaming right now. The hatred that is being taught needs to stop and only Muslims can do it. If they do nothing then they will reap the seeds of hatred.

[Cole Parker]

Shooting a decorative guard just for the politics of it, taking his life, is as cowardly an act as anyone could imagine. This isn't the act of a civilized people.

C

[Gee Whillickers]

Yes, the shooter has been identified as Canadian born radical Islamist Michael Zehaf-Bibeau. Reports continue to circulate that despite no official confirmation, there were multiple gunmen at other locations.

The victim at the National War Memorial has been named as 24 year old Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, a reservist serving in Hamilton as a member of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada regiment.

His weapon may not have even been loaded, according to comments from other members serving in these type of capacities, all he had to defend himself was a bayonet. No doubt he smiled and prepared to answer another tourist's questions as the gunman approached and shot him dead in an act of supreme cowardice.

Downtown Ottawa is a ghost town at this hour....

Edit: confirmed that Corporal Cirillo's ceremonial rifle was not even loaded. He was the father of a young child. His girlfriend found out in the worst way possible, she saw him receiving CPR by the paramedics during the news coverage.

[Gee Whillickers]

This is the man who fatally shot and killed the terrorist in the parliament buildings and is being hailed as a hero.

Kevin Vickers, Sergeant-at-Arms at the House of Commons:

No doubt not exactly how he planned his day to go when he got up this morning.

It is very, very rare that the people employed in this job over the past few centuries ever need to do what the job was invented for. When he was called upon, he did his job perfectly.

This photo was taken by a tourist just before Cpl Cirillo was killed. His last photograph....

And here's Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, who lost his life earlier this week to a different Islamic terrorist after being run over by a car. After a police chase in which the perpetrator rolled over his vehicle and attempted to escape, he was shot dead by police.

[dude]

Sad, so dad///

[Chris James]

The shooter in Canada has a criminal past and on more than one occasion has had his sanity questioned, and once again we wonder how someone like this is able to lay his hands on a gun. He certainly didn't do it legally.

I have always questioned the need people seem to have for guns. You will hear all sorts of reasons, most of them unreasonable. The Indians are not about to attack at dawn, nor are the bears overrunning the yard. Hunting is a legitimate reason to own a rifle or shotgun in some areas such as Nebraska, but I do think the following article is disturbing:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/school-will-allow-students-to-pose-with-guns-in-yearbook-photos/ar-BBaCFgy?ocid=LENDHP

We scream about students bringing weapons to school and expel six year olds for having a jelly sandwich in the shape of a gun....but this is all right? I don't care if hunting is popular with these students, let them appear with a gun in the NRA yearbook. The mindset is absurd and it seems we have to live with it. Welcome to Nebraska.

[Cole Parker]

So let me get this straight. I belong to a club, not a school club, not a school sponsored club, but a club outside any school activities. I can then take my senior school picture, celebrating my time in school and my progress there, with trappings of my extracurricular club in the shot.

So, I belong to a strip club. I enjoy the girls, and especially the ladies' night when male strippers hold the stage. It's club where you belong by paying $1 dues at the door every time you come. So it's perfectly OK if I bring along a couple of my fellow club members, a male and female stripper, to be in the picture with me.

Sounds valid to me, and imagine how it could improve yearbook sales.

C

[Gee Whillickers]

Cpl. Cirillo's dogs, awaiting his return home....

[Gee Whillickers]

Kevin Vickers, the Sergeant-at-arms who, still wearing his ceremonial clothes, shot and killed the terrorist, returns to work this morning. You'd think he would have earned a day off, but not him.

Vickers spent 30 years in the RCMP, and retired without once ever having fired his service weapon on duty, despite winning numerous awards for marksmanship.

Here he is this morning, just like any other day, in the House of Commons: