NDP Vancouver Kingsway MP Don Davies told the Courier he was in the weekly caucus meeting near the Hall of Honour in a lineup to speak at a microphone. He suddenly heard what sounded like “a very large metal trolley ramming into our door. Then five or six sounds in rapid succession that sounded like gunshots.”
Davies said a group of people inside the meeting room rushed to block the door with tables and chairs. Then another four gunshots were heard coming from outside the north side of the room. “We rushed to block that door,” he said. “There was gunfire feet away from the caucus meeting.”
About three minutes later, security guards entered and whisked the caucus members out another door and down a hallway to a secure area.
“Along the way I could smell the aftermath of a gunfight,” Davies said.
For the first two hours in the second room, the caucus remained quiet, but Davies said everyone hit the floor every 15 minutes. “There was some sense that there may be gunmen roaming the halls; after a couple of hours we were allowed to go to the bathroom,” Davies said.
Davies and the rest of caucus remained in lockdown after 1 p.m. Pacific, though staff across the street had been cleared to go home. The main reason for the delay was a security sweep of the Parliament buildings, including the 87-year-old Centre Block where he was holed-up.
"They have to search every square inch, it's like a museum,” he said. “There's closets and stairwells."
Don Davies posted these tweets as the shooting unfolded:
Heard 10 gunshots outside our Caucus room...hope everyone is safe...
— Don Davies, MP (@DonDavies) October 22, 2014
Being evacuated from Centre Block - smell gunpowder in hallways
— Don Davies, MP (@DonDavies) October 22, 2014
Can't call yet - in lockdown and situation still live
— Don Davies, MP (@DonDavies) October 22, 2014
bob@bobmackin.ca
twitter.com/bobmackin
