The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

THE BAHAMAS High Commission in Canada was under lockdown for several hours following a suspected terrorist shooting in downtown Ottawa yesterday.

Deputy Chief of Mission Roselyn Dorsett-Horton confirmed that she and six other Bahamian foreign service officers were safe and unharmed after the incident that claimed the life of a Canadian soldier.

The incident began around noon.

According to reports, a man with a rifle shot a soldier as he stood guard at the National War Memorial in downtown Ottawa. The shooter then seized a car and drove to the doors of Parliament Hill’s Centre Block. It was reported that several shots were fired inside Parliament. The gunman was shot dead by the House of Commons sergeant-at-arms, Kevin Vickers, a former member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

The gunman was identified as Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, 32, a Canadian national, according to international reports.

“We were told that there may be multiple shooters based on witnesses,” said Mrs Dorsett-Horton by phone. “The whole area is in lockdown, no one can come in, and no one can come out. There are seven of us in here.”

“We’re safe and the police know more than we do, since our security locked us down we’ve just been here waiting.”

“Apparently because there were rumours there might be multiple shooters, they are still cordoning off areas. Some of the buildings south of us have already been opened so we will just have to wait,” she added.

Mrs Dorsett-Horton spoke to The Tribune shortly before 3pm, and again at 4:30pm when she confirmed that the office had been given clearance to evacuate the area.

“We got clearance to leave pedestrian only,” she said, “which means that we can go but we have to leave our cars here. With all the police presence we felt safe, we just didn’t know how long we were going to be under lockdown.”

The Bahamas High Commission is located two blocks down from the war memorial in the Sun Life Financial Building at O’Connor Street, and was locked down around noon. It was at the memorial that the soldier on guard was shot and killed. The gunman then entered the parliament building, which is not too far away.

According to Reuters, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was addressing a meeting of legislators from his Conservative Party in Parliament when the armed man burst into the building and ran by the door of the room. Mr Harper was safely removed from the building and parliament was locked down.

Yesterday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement on the shooting which said the Bahamas High Commission in Ottawa and other buildings in the general vicinity, including the Canadian parliament, were on lockdown due to the attack.

“The attacks were not directed against the Bahamas or Bahamian diplomats,” the statement said.

“The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have ordered all persons in the vicinity to remain indoors until further notice as the intensive manhunt continues for the person or persons responsible for these attacks.”

Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell was in contact with Ms Horton who confirmed that all consulate employees are “unhurt, safe and accounted for,” the statement said.

High Commissioner Calsey Johnson is in the Bahamas “for diplomatic week.”