Local Resident Near Shooting at Parliament Hill

A scary scene in our Nation's Capital after a gunman shot and killed a soldier standing guard at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, followed by more gunfire on Parliament Hill.

The solider, from Hamilton, 24 years old Corporal Nathan Cirillo is now confirmed dead.

A witness says a man with a mask over his face shot the soldier at the War Memorial twice point-blank, then raised his arms in the air in triumph. Some MPs also report hearing as many as 30 shots inside the Centre Block, where they, along with Cypress Hills-Grasslands MP David Anderson, are under lockdown. Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the two opposition leaders are also safe at undisclosed locations.

The soldier shot at the War Memorial died in hospital, and a Parliamentary Guard was wounded. RCMP have confirmed that one shooter was killed inside a Parliament building, but there may be at least one other suspect. There were earlier reports of another shooting at Rideau Centre, a large downtown shopping centre near the Parliament buildings, but police now say there were only two shooting scenes at the War Memorial and on Parliament Hill.

The gunman killed in today's deadly shooting has been identified as Michael Zehaf-Bibeau.

Bibeau was apparently shot dead by the sergeant-at-arms of the House of Commons.

The parliamentary precinct, as well as much of Ottawa's downtown core, remains under lockdown as police comb the area for any other possible attackers.

Innovation Credit Union Board Director Russ Siemens was in Ottawa to meet with MPs this week and told our newsroom that he was on Parliament Hill this morning when the shooting occurred.

"I was here with Credit Union Central of Canada doing meetings with our MPs yesterday, our plane leaves this afternoon, so I thought that I would just go down to the Parliament Buildings this morning and have a little tour, and that's when I found myself in the middle of the situation there," Siemens said. "I was picking up a cellphone for a friend  who left it at Question Period yesterday, so I was right in the security area just minutes before they got the call. They were helping me with my cellphone, and they said it wasn't there, but it was in the Confederation Building, so I walked over to that building and it was when I was in the security area of the Confederation Building when the call came in.

Russ Siemens talked with Colin Powers about this morning's shooting at Parliament Hill

"Unfortunately, the security officers were speaking in French, so I wasn't sure what the alarm was," he added. "I didn't think it was the urgency over my cellphone, but suddenly a guard grabbed me, and he said 'you need to clear the area', and suggested I get out of here as quickly as I can."

Siemens says he was walking away from the scene of the shooting at the War Memorial as he was moving from the Parliament Buildings to the Confederation Building.

"As I was walking away from the scene, emergency vehicles were coming, police cars were driving toward the Parliament Buildings were going probably 100 to 120 kilometres per hour going down that main street, so I knew there was something serious that was going on," he added.

Siemens added he did get back to his hotel safe and sound. The hotel is under lockdown and it's unknown if he will arrive back in Saskatchewan today as scheduled.

Two other local residents, Blaine Switzer of Swift Current and Jonathan Thomason of Rush Lake, were in Ottawa this week to receive the Medal of Bravery at Rideau Hall, with that ceremony occurring on Tuesday. Both men and their party returned to Saskatchewan late Tuesday night.

The latest details on this developing story can be found on the National News Page on SwiftCurrentOnline.com.