Kevin Vickers hailed as hero in Canada, a day after fear shook country

Kevin Vickers helped open the Canadian Parliament on Thursday, like he does most days, with a ceremony, carrying a gold mace down the halls of the building and into the chambers where members are seated.

But the day after a gunman shot a Canadian soldier and tore into the Parliament building, Vickers entered the room to a standing ovation and raucous applause that lasted several minutes.

Vickers, 58, is credited in multiple reports with helping take down the gunman who came within feet of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper during his rampage Wednesday, and is now being hailed as a national hero.

Vickers, who stood at attention for several minutes in his ceremonial garb while hundreds of members of Parliament applauded him, appeared at times to be struggling to hold back tears.

He remained stoic, even as members banged on their desks in support of him, nodding modestly a few times to acknowledge the applause.

As the legislators began to sing the Canadian national anthem, some witnesses said, there were tears in his eyes.

In a statement released Thursday, Vickers said he was “very touched” by the attention and credited members of his security team. “Yesterday, during extraordinary circumstances, security personnel demonstrated professionalism and courage. I am grateful and proud to be part of this team,” Vickers said.

Vickers confirmed that Samearn Son, a constable with the House of Commons security force, had been shot in the leg during the encounter with the suspect. Son is stable and expected to recover, Vickers said. He added that other officers on his security team would not be speaking to the media, citing the ongoing investigation.

No law enforcement agencies have confirmed Vickers’ role in stopping the gunman, but multiple media reports say Vickers acted quickly after the gunman entered the Parliament building, retrieving a gun from his office and shooting the armed man.

Video from the scene immediately after the shooting ended shows Vickers holding a gun and walking through the hallways as other law enforcement officials appear with weapons drawn.

Several members of Parliament tweeted their thanks to Vickers soon after the incident. “Thank God for Sgt at Arms Kevin Vickers and security forces,” tweeted Canadian Justice Minister Peter MacKay. Craig Scott, a member representing Toronto, said members and staff “owe their safety, even their lives” to Vickers.

In a speech to Parliament on Thursday, Harper thanked law enforcement officials, with a special nod to Parliament security officers. Harper then walked to the back of the room, where Vickers was seated, and shook his hand.

Vickers’ brother, John Vickers, says his brother took his responsibility of keeping Parliament Hill safe seriously. “He always talked about the importance of keeping the institution open to the public and safe,” John Vickers told the Times by phone Wednesday.

Vickers, a married father of two, is a 29-year veteran of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, where he specialized in homicide and narcotics investigations. He joined the House of Commons security team in 2005, and was named sergeant-at-arms in 2006.

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