Their noses
peeking out from under the fence, Nathan Cirillo's dogs wait patiently
for their dad - unaware that he will never be coming home.
A
day after the 24-year-old Canadian reservist and single dad was gunned
down in Ottawa on Wednesday, his forlorn dogs could be seen peering out
from his family's home in Hamilton, Ontario.
Cirillo
was devoted to his animals, posting image after image of him grinning
beside them to his Instagram feed.
Friends also recounted the story of
him recently finding an abandoned, emaciated puppy that he nursed back
to heath and then re-homed.
'Found him a pretty home, hope he has a good life,' Cirillo wrote just four weeks ago of the pup.
Where is he?
Heartbreaking images show dogs peeking out from beneath Corporal Nathan
Cirillo's family home on Thursday, a day after he was shot dead outside
the Parliament
Forlorn: The two dogs peeked out from beneath the fence at the family's home in Hamilton, Ontario
Missed: Cirillo had two German shepherd-type dogs and recently nursed an abandoned puppy to health
Cirillo,
who was shot dead as he stood guard at the National War Memorial
outside the Canadian Parliament on Wednesday, also leaves behind a
six-year-old son.
He
was bringing up the boy, Marcus, alone - with help from his mother,
Kathy - after the boy's mother was no longer in the picture, friends
have said.
Former girlfriend Randi Lotsberg said that Cirillo lit up whenever he spoke about his son.
'He stepped up. Definitely admirable,' she told The Star. 'I feel so bad right now for his kid. Now his son doesn't have a dad.'
Tragic: The animal-loving Hamilton, Ontario native was shot at close range and rushed to a nearby hospital
Family: Cirillo leaves behind his two dogs and his six-year-old son Marcus, left, who he was bringing up alone
Waiting: Cirillo's son is now expected to stay with his mother, Kathy, who has helped with his care
He
met the boy's mother, Kendra, at the Ancaster Fair in Jerseyville after
he was kicked out for not paying to get in. Outside he met Kendra and a
friend, who asked for a ride home,Metro News reported. They dated and went on to have Marcus.
Cirillo's
mother Kathy, who is traveling to Ottawa, will now likely take care of
Marcus, CBC reported. She took care of him when Cirillo was working or
away on his military duties, Lotsberg said.
Nathan's uncle Jim Cirillo told reporters from a home in Hamilton that the soldier's mother is in total shock.
'She's saying she doesn't believe it,' he told CBC.
'She went on the internet and she saw it and she...I don't know how she
didn't pass out. She's just completely broken, broken right now.'
Hamilton
Mayor Bob Bratina said that he had visited a makeshift memorial to
Cirillo outside his regiment's barracks before going to the family's
home with Police Chief Glenn De Caire.
As
he spoke to the slain soldier's relatives, little Marcus wandered out
to greet everyone. He likely didn't understand what had just happened,
the mayor said.
Seconds before: A tourist snapped this
photo, likely the last ever taken of Corporal Nathan Cirillo (left)
before he was gunned down by Michael Zehaf-Bibeau in an attack on
Ottowa's Parliament Hill on Wednesday
Ominous: Responders frantically tried reviving Cirillo at the base of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
'At what point does a five-year-old actually understand that?' Bratina asked.
Cirillo
had dreamed of serving his country since he was a teenager. He became a
cadet when he was just 13 and joined the Argyll and Sutherland
Highlanders about five years ago.
Friends said he loved country music and was a fitness fanatic who had worked as a personal trainer.
'Nathan was a good man,' friend Marie Michele told CBC News. 'He would give anything to anyone.'
'He always had a smile on his face,' his friend Peter DiBussolo told The Ottawa Citizen. 'He was always walking around giving people handshakes, introducing people to himself.'
Manager
Billy Pozeg of Club Absinthe, where Cirillo worked as a bouncer, told
CBC Cirillo often showed up straight from the armury in his fatigues.
Paying respects: A man wearing an
Argylls jacket places flowers at a memorial outside the gates of the
John Weir Foote Armory, the home of the Argyll and Sutherland
Highlanders of Canada
Emotional memorial: A woman holds her
head at the impromptu memorial in Hamilton, where 24-year-old fallen
reservist Corporal Nathan Cirillo was being honored
Loved: People sign a Canadian flag at
a makeshift memorial to Cirillo outside of The Lieutenant-Colonel John
Weir Foote Armoury in Hamilton, Ontario on Thursday
No matter how tired he was from back-to-back shifts, he lifted the mood of every room he entered, Pozeg said.
Last photos: This image of a happy Cirillo was taken by a tourist in the days before his death
On
a Facebook memorial page, set up just hours after Cirillo's death,
friends and loved ones recounted stories of his kindness.
One
described an incident where she had traveled to Hamilton for a night
out with friends but they were unable to meet her - but Cirillo was
there.
'Nathan
stayed in downtown after he had finished with the army and waited for
me even though it was snowing and well below 0C and my bus was over an
hour late,' Megan Newman wrote.
'He
stood at the station and waited and took me home, he even had a coffee
in his hand for me. He was a true stand-up guy, who lived for his son
and family also the military. He will be a big miss.'
Family members said they found out Cirillo was the victim after seeing footage on the news.
'When I saw the ambulance take him in and I saw his receding hairline, I knew it was my nephew,' an unidentified aunt told the Globe and Mail.
On Wednesday, he was photographed by a Parliament Hill visitor standing by the Tomb mere moments before the attack.
The
Hamilton, Ontario native served Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of
Canada. That regiment is one of the country's largest army reserve units
in Canada and guarding the National War Memorial is part soldiers'
ceremonial duties.
Saddened: Prime
Minister Stephen Harper and his wife Laureen also paid their respects on
Thursday by leaving flowers at the site where the soldier was gunned
down
Remembered: Flowers with a card sit at the foot of the War Memorial in Ottawa on Thursday
The
reservists are rotated on an hourly or bi-hourly basis, and it could
have been any of the men -- some part-time and others full -- who served
the duty on Parliament Hill Wednesday in their Black Watch tartan kilt,
Glengarry and other regimental garb. But the fate befell Cirillo.
Many
of his closest friends were in his regiment, including Brendan
Stevenson, who was believed to be standing beside him at the grave of
the unknown soldier when he was shot, according to Maclean's.
Seconds
later after the photo was taken, Michael Zehaf-Bibeau shot Cirillo,
whose ceremonial weapon was not loaded. The soldier was rushed to a
hospital, but soon succumbed to the wounds.
Twitter user Kamakazi19982 posted
the photo with the caption: 'Ok so we were on a tour at the war
monument in Ottawa a few minutes ago, a few seconds later there was a
shooting.'
The
horror began when a masked Michael Zehaf-Bibeau shot and killed Cirillo
standing guard at Canada's war memorial Wednesday, then stormed
Parliament in an attack that was stopped cold when he was shot to death
by the ceremonial sergeant-at-arms.
Another constable Samearn Son was shot in the leg but is expected to make a full recovery.
Canada's prime minister called it the country's second terrorist attack in three days.
The
country was already on alert because of a deadly hit-and-run assault
Monday against two Canadian soldiers by a man Harper described as an
'ISIS-inspired terrorist.'
Gunned down: He had been in Ottawa because members of the Argylls were standing guard this week
Loss: 24-year-old Carillo served with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in Hamilton, Ontario
Friends described Cirillo as a fitness
fanatic. The 24-year-old worked part-time as a personal trainer as well
as a bouncer at a Hamilton nightclub
One soldier was killed in the first attack.
'We
will not be intimidated. Canada will never be intimidated,' Prime
Minister Stephen Harper vowed in an address to the nation.
Investigators
offered little information about the gunman but he is the son of Susan
Bibeau who works for the Immigration and Refuge Board of Canada.
On Thursday, Ms Bibeau spoke from her home to apologize for her son's actions.
'We
are so sad that a man lost his life. He has lost everything and he
leaves behind a family that must feel nothing but pain and sorrow.'
'We
send our deepest condolences to them although words seem pretty
useless. We are both crying for them. We also wish to apologize for all
the pain, fright and chaos he created.'
On
Thursday, sergeant-in-arms Kevin Vickers was given a hero's welcome to
parliament with a standing ovation from politicians across the political
spectrum.
Gunman: Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, the Muslim convert who shot dead solider Nathan Cirillo and opened fire on Canadian Parliament
Race: An Ottawa police officer runs
with his weapon drawn outside Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday
after multiple gunmen attacked the Parliament and a nearby mall,
injuring at least three people
Race: Emergency personnel tend to the soldier after he was shot at the National Memorial just before 10am
Terror: Police hunted the streets for more suspects and as they asked the public to stay away from the area
In a statement he paid tribute to his fallen colleague.
'I
am very touched by the attention directed at me following yesterday’s
events. However, I have the support of a remarkable security team that
is committed to ensuring the safety of Members, employees and visitors
to the Hill,' he said.
'On
behalf of all members of the House of Commons Security Services team, I
would like to extend our deepest condolences to the family of Cpl.
Nathan Cirillo. Our prayers are with you. Our thoughts are also with
Constable Samearn Son, who has been with the House of Commons Security
Services for 10 years. Constable Son suffered a gun shot wound to the
leg. He is in stable condition and expected to make a full recovery.'
HERO IN ROBES WHO BRAVELY FELLED ARMED ATTACKER
Humble: Mr Vickers became emotional when he was greeted by a moving standing ovation Thursday
Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers is being hailed a hero for shooting dead the gunman inside Canada’s parliament.
Mr
Vickers, 58, was praised by politicians for ‘selflessly keeping them
safe’ after grabbing a gun he keeps in his office amid the rampage.
It was the first time he fired his gun in a career spanning nearly thirty years
The
sergeant-at-arms is the person responsible for safety and security of
parliament and has the ceremonial role of carrying a gold mace into the
House of Commons. Ex-policeman Mr Vickers has held the position for
eight years.
MP
Craig Scott wrote on Twitter: ‘MPs … owe their safety, even lives, to
sergeant-at-arms Kevin Vickers who shot attacker just outside the MPs’
caucus rooms.’
Minister Julian Fantino added that he was ‘profoundly grateful’ for Mr Vickers’ ‘selfless act.'
In Parliament on Thursday the public servant was greeted with a moving standing ovation
An
emotional Mr Vickers gave a humble nod of his head at the ceremony as
he bravely returned to work just a day after saving the lives of his
co-workers
His
sister, Mary, told the Sun News: 'We're always very proud of Kevin, but
at this moment we are concerned about him - he had to make a very
serious decision today.'
'He's
always a natural leader. He would not have taken this decision lightly,
and I can't stress that enough - but he would always expect of himself
to do what he would expect of the men and women under him.'
Vickers released a statement Thursday afternoon.
'I
am very touched by the attention directed at me following yesterday’s
events. However, I have the support of a remarkable security team that
is committed to ensuring the safety of Members, employees and visitors
to the Hill,' he said.
'On
behalf of all members of the House of Commons Security Services team, I
would like to extend our deepest condolences to the family of Cpl.
Nathan Cirillo. Our prayers are with you. Our thoughts are also with
Constable Samearn Son, who has been with the House of Commons Security
Services for 10 years. Constable Son suffered a gun shot wound to the
leg. He is in stable condition and expected to make a full recovery.'
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