TORONTO (AP) — Canadians today have been mourning the army reservist who was killed in yesterday’s shooting attack on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
Corporal Nathan Cirillo is being remembered as a devoted father who was so ready to make people smile that he was once known as a class clown.
Flags are at half-staff to honor Cirillo, a 24-year-old from Hamilton, Ontario. He was shot dead as he stood guard before the country’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
It was the start of an attack that ended with a lone gunman storming into Parliament and opening fire before being shot dead himself.
The mayor of Hamilton says Cirillo was a life-long military enthusiast who joined the cadets at age 13 and was training to become a full-time soldier. He says Circillo had only been assigned to the post at the memorial in the last day or so.
Friends remember him as a loving father to his six-year-old son, and a gregarious outdoor enthusiast and fitness buff. And they say he was always eager to help friends.
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APPHOTO PMP123: A dog peeks out from under a gate at the Cirillo family home in Hamilton, Ontario near flowers and flags that have been left on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014. Canadians are mourning the loss of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, the army reservist who was shot dead as he stood guard before the Tomb of the Unknown soldier. Flags were flown at half-staff to honor Cirillo, a 24-year-old a reservist from Hamilton, Ontario, whose shooting on Wednesday began an attack that ended with a lone gunman storming into Parliament and opening fire before being shot dead himself. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Peter Power) (23 Oct 2014)
< APPHOTO NY116: This undated photo provided by Danielle Townsend shows Nathan Cirillo, left, posing for a photograph with a friend. Canadians on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014, mourned the loss of Cirillo, the army reservist who was shot dead as he stood guard before the country’s Tomb of the Unknown soldier. Flags were flown at half-staff to honor Cirillo, a 24-year-old a reservist from Hamilton, Ontario, whose shooting on Wednesday began an attack that ended with a lone gunman storming into Parliament and opening fire before being shot dead himself. (AP Photo/Courtesy of Danielle Townsend) (23 Oct 2014) < Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
