Canada Shooting Latest News: Gunmen Attack Canadian Parliament; One Shot Dead

Violence erupted in the heart of the Canadian government on Wednesday when at least two gunmen shot a military guard at the National War Memorial and then entered the adjacent Parliament building, where at least 30 gunshots were fired as police officers rushed in to secure the building.

One of the gunmen was shot dead, a government minister said.

Shooting was also reported at a nearby shopping mall.

Canadian news reports said two or three assailants were possibly involved in what appeared to be a coordinated attack in at least three separate locations within the Canadian capital.

The violence erupted amid heightened concern that terrorists may launch a major attack in Canada after a Muslim convert, a radical jihadist, ran over two soldiers at a suburban Montreal strip mall two days ago, killing one of them.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, a staunch critic of the Islamic State movement and other militant groups, has been considering the introduction of new anti-terrorism legislation. Harper was in a caucus meeting in parliament when gunfire erupted in the building, a source told the Toronto Sun. Harper was later safely removed from the building, and parliament was locked down.

The shootings in Ottawa began at about 10 a.m. Wednesday, just as the leaders of Parliament were holding their weekly meetings.

Many of the lawmakers were rushed into secure rooms in the basement by guards.

Canadian parliament's head of security, Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers, a former member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), was the one who gunned down one of the assailants, Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino, 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," Fantino said. "He did a great job and, from what I know, shot the gunman and he is now deceased."

Video footage posted by the Globe and Mail newspaper showed police with guns drawn inside the main parliament building. At least a dozen loud bangs can be heard on the clip.

Police in bulletproof vests and carrying automatic weapons filled the streets near parliament.

Some took cover behind vehicles, and shouted to people to clear the area, saying: "We do not have the suspect in custody. You are in danger here."

Members of parliament were told to lock themselves in their offices, and stay away from the windows.

"If your door does not lock, find a way to barricade the door, if possible. Do not open a door under any circumstances," said a security alert issued by parliament officials.

All cell phones in the area were blocked.

The military guard shot at the National War Memorial survived the attack and

was taken into an ambulance. Medical personnel were seen giving him cardio-pulmonary resuscitation.

A construction worker on the scene in Ottawa told Reuters he heard a gunshot, and then saw a man with a scarf over his face running towards parliament.

"He was wearing blue pants and a black jacket and he had a double barrelled shotgun and he ran up the side of this building here and hijacked a car at gunpoint," construction worker Scott Walsh told Reuters.

The driver got out safely, then the man drove the car to the Centre Block on Parliament Hill, where construction work is underway, Walsh said.

Centre Block is the main building on Parliament Hill, a sprawling complex of buildings and open space in downtown Ottawa. It contains the House of Commons and Senate chambers as well as the offices of some members of parliament, senators, and senior administration for both legislative houses.

One member of parliament, Mark Strahl, tweeted from inside parliament: "Very tense situation in Ottawa this morning. Multiple gun shots fired outside of our caucus room. I am safe and in lockdown. Unbelievable."

Security on Parliament Hill is not as tight as in Capitol Hill in Washington. Anybody could walk right up to the front door of parliament's Centre Block with arms and explosives without being challenged before entering the front door, where a few guards check accreditation.

As a result of the shootings, Wednesday's Ottawa Senators home game has been postponed by the National Hockey League.

Ottawa were scheduled to host the Toronto Maple Leafs at their home arena, about 25 km (15.5 miles) away from the parliament buildings, at 7:00 p.m. ET (2300 GMT).

"The National Hockey League wishes to express its sympathy and prayers to all affected by the tragic events in Ottawa," the league, said in a statement.