Canada

A soldier was reportedly shot while guarding the War Memorial

Updated Wednesday 3 p.m. ET

Ottawa Police said Wednesday afternoon that a member of the Canadian Forces is dead after being shot at the city’s National War Memorial just outside Parliament earlier in the day. One male suspect was also confirmed dead, the police said, in what appears to have been an armed assault in the heart of Canada’s capital city. Police have not said if the dead suspect was responsible for killing the soldier or if any other suspects remained at large.

“Today is a sad and tragic day for our city and country,” Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said Wednesday afternoon.

At least one gunman entered Parliament Wednesday morning about the time of the soldier’s shooting, witnesses told the Associated Press, while some later heard shots fired from within the building. Parliament was in session during the incident. A Globe and Mail reporter captured this footage of shots firing out as police swept Parliament following reports of the soldier’s shooting: (warning: footage is violent but not graphic)

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was quickly evacuated from the scene, the Globe and Mail reports. Harper was scheduled to meet with Pakistani youth education activist Malala Yousafzai in Toronto Wednesday, but that meeting has since been canceled.

The Ottawa Police at first said there were three separate shooting events, but later reduced that number to two.

Ottawa police said in a press conference Wednesday afternoon that the situation is “fluid” and “ongoing,” giving few details beyond what has already been reported. They have asked the public to remain “vigilant,” and are warning people in downtown Ottawa to stay away from windows and rooftops until the situation returns to normal. Those outside downtown Ottawa are being advised to stay away from the area.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Wednesday that U.S. President Barack Obama was briefed on the incident Wednesday morning in the Oval Office by Homeland Security Advisor Lisa Monaco. U.S. officials have been in close contact with their Canadian counterparts to offer assistance, Earnest added. Obama and Prime Minister Harper spoke on the phone Wednesday afternoon.

Earnest said that he was “not in a position to render judgement” whether the shootings were a terrorist attack. He added he was “unaware” of any changes being made to the domestic threat level or the security posture at U.S. government facilities, though NORAD said earlier it had gone on “high alert” after the shootings.

Wednesday evening’s National Hockey League game scheduled to see the Ottawa Senators host the Toronto Maple Leafs was postponed in light of the incident, the NHL said Wednesday.

– With reporting from Zeke J. Miller

(OTTAWA, Ontario) — Police and witnesses say a gunman has shot a Canadian soldier standing guard at the National War Memorial in Ottawa.

Witnesses also said the gunman entered Parliament and shots rang out. Royal Canadian Mounted Police warned people in downtown Ottawa to stay away from windows and rooftops.

The shooting, which happened shortly before 10 a.m., comes just two days after two Canadian soldiers were run over — and one of them killed — in Quebec by a man with jihadist sympathies.

Earlier: Police say a soldier standing guard at the National War Memorial has been shot by an unknown gunman.

Ottawa police confirmed they had a call at 9:52 a.m. Wednesday with a report of shots fired, and witnesses reported seeing a gunman running toward Parliament Hill, which is under lockdown. Others on the Hill told Canadian Press they heard shots being fired in several different corridors.

The top spokesman for Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Harper was safe and had left Parliament Hill.

Emergency responders are still on the scene and paramedics took the wounded soldier away in an ambulance.

The incident comes just two days after two Canadian soldiers were run over — and one of them killed — in Quebec by a man with jihadist sympathies.

Stéphanie Boudoin is being charged with 42 break-ins

The Toronto mayor has said he won't seek re-election amid health problems

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, his doctor said Wednesday.

Dr. Zane Cohen of Mount Sinai Hospital confirmed that Ford has a rare cancer that will be treated with chemotherapy, CTV reports. Ford is expected to make a complete recovery. Cohen said the mayor is in “some pain still” but that doctors are working to manage it.

Ford was initially hospitalized last week after complaining of intense abdominal pain and had been diagnosed with a tumor, but further details of his condition couldn’t be confirmed until a biopsy was conducted. Ford, who drew global headlines when he admitted to doing crack cocaine, said last week that he won’t be seeking re-election.

[CTV]

His brother Doug Ford is taking his place on the ballot

Embattled Toronto mayor Rob Ford has ended his bid for re-election after doctors found a tumor in his abdomen.

“I’m unable to continue my campaign for re-election as your Mayor,” Ford said in a statement released Friday afternoon. “With the advice of my doctors I know I need to focus on getting better.”

“People know me as a guy who faces things head on and never gives up, and as your Mayor I have done just that. I derailed the gravy train, cut unnecessary spending and made government more accountable. I did this by facing these challenges head on,” Ford added. “Now I could be facing a battle of my lifetime.”

Ford family representatives rushed to file papers ahead of the 2 p.m. deadline Friday to allow Rob’s brother, City Councillor Doug Ford, replace him on the ballot, the Toronto Star reports. Doug Ford will now run for mayor of the city in Rob Ford’s stead. Rob Ford will, in turn, run for Doug Ford’s Ward 2 City Council seat, a seat Rob held until Doug’s election in 2010. The Fords’ nephew Michael, who had been in contention to fill the Ward 2 seat being vacated by Doug, is expected to pull his name from consideration.

Ford was admitted to a hospital Wednesday after complaining of stomach pains. Doctors found a “fair size” tumor in his abdomen but can’t know for sure if it is cancerous for at least a week.

The news marks a dramatic watershed in Ford’s tumultuous and scandal-plagued term in office during which he was censured by the City Council after revelations of drug use followed by repeated instances in which he made graphic and off color remarks in public.

Doctors are not yet able to determine what type of tumor the Mayor has

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has an abdominal tumor, discovered after he was admitted to a hospital on Wednesday.

Ford entered Humber River Hospital’s Church Street facility in Toronto earlier in the day, complaining of abdominal pains, a problem that had plagued the politician for the last three months but had suddenly become “unbearable,” his brother, City Councillor Doug Ford said.

By Wednesday evening, doctors had given Ford a “working diagnosis of a tumor.”

Councillor Ford said he could not comment on how the diagnosis will impact Mayor Ford’s campaign for reelection. Rob Ford is running for mayor despite having been in rehab earlier this year for problems with alcohol and drugs including crack-cocaine.

President and CEO of Humber River Hospital Dr. Rueben Devlin said during a press conference Wednesday that physicians won’t be able to determine exactly what type of tumor Ford has until they complete a biopsy. The full investigation into his condition is likely to wrap up by the end of the week, Devlin said.

A CT scan found that “it wasn’t a small tumor,” Devlin said. “But size is not as relevant as what it is.” The biopsy will determine if there are tumors anywhere else in Ford’s body.

Doug Ford said Wednesday that despite the diagnosis, his brother is in “good spirits.” Councillor Ford also asked for privacy until they know what the tumor is.

Allegedly got into a fight after car crash

Now Canada can join the list of countries where Justin Bieber has gotten into trouble with the law. The 20-year-old pop sensation was arrested Friday in his native country after he allegedly got into a fight after a car crash.

Bieber got into a “physical altercation” with an occupant of the other car after a collision near Perth, Ontario, according to the police report, which resulted in charges for assault and dangerous driving. He’s scheduled to appear in court on Sept 29.

The 20-year-old’s brushes with the law have become more frequent in recent months. He was accused of attempted robbery of a cell phone in May, and pled no contest to vandalism charges in July after egging a neighbor’s home. He made a large donation to charity in August as part of a settlement for his DUI charge in Miami.