2014 shootings at Parliament Hill, Ottawa
The 2014 shootings at Parliament Hill were a series of shootings that occurred on October 22, 2014, at Parliament Hill in Ottawa. At the National War Memorial, Corporal Nathan Cirillo, a Canadian soldier and reservist on ceremonial sentry duty, was fatally shot by Michael Zehaf-Bibeau. Described as mentally unwell, Zehaf-Bibeau then entered the nearby Centre Block parliament building, where members of the Parliament of Canada were attending caucuses. After wrestling with a constable at the entrance, Zehaf-Bibeau ran inside and had a shootout with RCMP officers. He was shot 31 times by six officers and died on scene. Following the shootings, the downtown core of Ottawa was placed on lockdown and majority of schools in Ottawa were on lockdown while police searched for any potential additional threats.
Parliament Hill's Centre Block, scene of the attack
Zehaf-Bibeau at the National War Memorial on October 22, 2014
Nathan Cirillo was on sentry duty at the National War Memorial, similar to the sentries in this picture, when he was fatally shot.
The Hall of Honour in the Centre Block, where Michael Zehaf-Bibeau was killed in an exchange of gunfire
Parliament Hill, colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern bank of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It accommodates a suite of Gothic revival buildings whose architectural elements were chosen to evoke the history of parliamentary democracy. Parliament Hill attracts approximately three million visitors each year. The Parliamentary Protective Service is responsible for law enforcement on Parliament Hill and in the parliamentary precinct, while the National Capital Commission is responsible for maintaining the nine-hectare (22-acre) area of the grounds.
Parliament Hill, 2009
The Ottawa locks of the Rideau Canal, with Barrack Hill—present-day Parliament Hill—right of centre; 1832
Centre Block under construction in 1863
Troops deliver a feu de joie on Parliament Hill for the Queen's Birthday Review in 1868.