Anatomy of a shooting: Where were you?
Everybody has a story from the scene. Tell us yours.
A Royal Canadian Mounted Police vehicle passes the Fairmont Chateau Laurier as it leaves a secure area downtown following shootings in Ottawa October 22, 2014. Security in Canada’s capital came under criticism on Wednesday after a gunman was able to run through the unlocked front door of the main parliament building and get close to Prime Minister Stephen Harper before being taken down in a flurry of gunfire. The gunman had first shot and killed a soldier at the nearby National War Memorial in central Ottawa before running into the parliament building, according to media reports. REUTERS/Blair Gable (CANADA – Tags: POLITICS MILITARY CRIME LAW) – RTR4B8PA
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Before gunshots rang out on Oct. 22 at the National War Memorial and inside of Parliament’s Centre Block, the Ottawa morning had been nothing out of the ordinary. Parliamentarians filed into their national caucus meetings. Residents walked and drove down the streets around Parliament Hill. The chaos that followed Michael Zehaf-Bibeau’s rampage touched everybody in the immediate neighbourhood. Bystanders witnessed and performed small acts of bravery, confronted an immediate police presence unlike any they’d ever seen, and stitched together whatever scattered thoughts consumed their minds.
Everybody on the scene had a story. We want to hear yours. Where were you when the crisis unfolded, what did you see, and what stands out from those harrowing moments? If you have a story to tell, fill out the form below.
Here’s some of what we’ve collected so far from parliamentarians, staffers and workers on the scene. Click on the dots for brief snippets of their experiences.