2014 shootings at Parliament Hill

On 22 October 2014, at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, a gunman later identified as 32-year-old Michael Zehaf-Bibeau shot and killed Corporal Nathan Cirillo, a Canadian Armed Forces reservist standing ceremonial sentry duty at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the National War Memorial. Witnesses reported the attacker arrived carrying a rifle and wearing a keffiyeh scarf over the lower part of his face. He shot Cirillo at close range; according to a later Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) report, Cirillo was shot three times in the back. Two other sentries, Cpl. Kyle Button and Cpl. Branden Stevenson, attempted to intervene but were forced to flee after being shot at. Bystanders and Cpl. Anthony Wiseman attempted to stop the attacker as he fled to a vehicle.

The attacker drove to Parliament Hill, abandoned his car, and carjacked a parliamentary vehicle, which he drove to the Centre Block building housing the Parliament of Canada, where MPs were attending caucus meetings. RCMP officers pursued the vehicle to the base of the Peace Tower. Inside, House of Commons constable Samearn Son struggled with the attacker over his rifle and was shot in the foot, a delay that reportedly allowed other security personnel to mobilize. Zehaf-Bibeau then ran along the Hall of Honour toward the Library of Parliament, exchanging gunfire with security personnel along the way, including House of Commons security officers. Prime Minister Stephen Harper was moved to a closet by RCMP security while Conservative MPs barricaded their caucus room doors.

The attacker was cornered in an alcove near the office of the Sergeant-at-Arms, Kevin Vickers, who retrieved a handgun and confronted him alongside RCMP officers. According to a subsequent OPP review reported by CBC News, Zehaf-Bibeau was shot 31 times by RCMP officers, including a final shot to the back of the head fired by Constable Curtis Barrett. He was pronounced dead at the scene. A large knife was found tied to his wrist.

Following the shootings, downtown Ottawa, including the Parliament buildings, the University of Ottawa, and the U.S. embassy, was placed under lockdown while police searched for potential additional threats; the RCMP later confirmed only two shooting locations were involved, correcting an initial erroneous report of a third incident near the Rideau Centre.

The RCMP classified the attack as an act of terrorism. On 26 October 2014, the RCMP stated it had evidence the attack was driven by ideological and political motives, based on a video Zehaf-Bibeau had recorded before the attack. The full transcript of that video was released by the RCMP on 29 May 2015, in which the attacker referenced Canada's military involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq. An OPP investigation into the actions of RCMP and security personnel concluded that officers' use of force was justified. Cirillo received a full regimental funeral in Hamilton, Ontario, on 28 October 2014.