A former police officer has been hailed as a hero for his actions at the Canadian Parliament earlier today, after he reportedly shot dead an armed men who had entered the building.
MPs and proud members of the public were quick to thank Kevin Vickers, a former Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer, as authorities hunt Ottawa for other suspects.
Veterans affairs minister Julian Fantino, himself a former policeman, said: "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.
"He did a great job and, from what I know, shot the gunman and he is now deceased."
He later tweeted that he was "profoundly grateful" to Mr Vickers.
I am safe & profoundly grateful to Sgt at Arms Kevin Vickers & our security forces for selfless act of keeping us safe
— Julian Fantino (@JulianFantino) October 22, 2014
The Globe and Mail captured this footage of shooting within the parliament building.
Craig Scott, an NDP Member of Parliament for Toronto-Danforth, said: "MPs and Hill staff owe their safety, even lives, to Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers who shot attacker just outside the MPs' caucus rooms."
Justice minister Peter MacKay tweeted: "Thank God for Sgt at Arms Kevin Vickers & our Cdn security forces. True heroes."
The attack took place as MPs were meeting inside the building and officials were told to barricade themselves in rooms to protect themselves.
The gunman had apparently shot a soldier, who later died of his injuries, before running into the parliament building, where he was confronted by Mr Vickers.
Dramatic video footage posted by the Globe and Mail newspaper showed police with guns drawn inside the parliament building and dozens of shots could be heard.
Mr Vicker was in the RCMP for 29 years, rising to the rank of Chief Superintendent.
He has been Sergeant-at-Arms, with responsibility for safeguarding the authority of the House of Commons and ensuring the safety of parliament and its occupants, since 2009.
Damian Penny, a lawyer in Bedford, Nova Scotia tweeted that he would "never pay for a drink again".
In 1984, the then Sergeant-at-Arms, Rene Marc Jalbert, persuaded a gunman who had already shot dead three people at the Houses of Parliament to let several people go and then convinced him to surrender to police.
