Yukon MP Ryan Leef and Sen. Dan Lang remained under lockdown before press time this afternoon, hours after a gunman was shot and killed at Parliament Hill’s Centre Block in Ottawa.

Police continued to swarm over the downtown in search of other suspects following several other shooting incidents in the capital, including one at the National War Memorial that left a Canadian soldier dead.

“We can say with confidence that he’s fine,” Kay Richter, Leef’s chief of staff, said of the MP.

She noted both Leef and Lang were in the government’s caucus room with more than 200 other Conservative MPs and senators when the shooting occurred.

Leef and Lang remain under lockdown in the caucus room with other national representatives, Lang’s office said in a release.

Richter believed an attempt had been made to move the caucus members out of the main Parliament building, but was not certain.

“When you’re locked down, they don’t tell you anything; they just say, ‘Stay here,’” Richter told the Star.

Four hours after the incident, she had not been in direct communication with Leef. The MP had neglected to charge his cell phone Tuesday night.

“Well, I call that Murphy’s Law,” Richter said, “because that’s the one day that him having a phone would be quite necessary.”

Caucus members are generally not allowed to use their phones during the weekly meetings.

Richter was delivering some paperwork to Leef at around 9 a.m. Ottawa time near the main hallway where, half an hour later, the suspected gunman would be shot and killed.

“I was by the big hallway, where there’s the Library of Parliament at the end, and on one side there’s the national caucus and on the other side is where the Opposition meets.

“And that’s the very hall that the gentleman ran down,” she said of the suspect, reportedly the same man who had fatally shot the soldier at the War Memorial just blocks away.

Kevin Vickers, the House of Commons’ sergeant-at-arms, shot the gunman, according to MPs and parliamentary staff tweeting shortly after the Centre Block’s arched limestone hallway echoed with gunfire.

“You’re aware that you’re a target here,” Richter said.

“It’s sort of in the back of your mind, but when it actually happens, it’s a shock.

“I’ll be having a glass of wine tonight, I can tell you that,” she added.

Richter remained under lockdown in Leef’s office several buildings away from the main Parliament building.

“I’m hiding in my office ... we’re not going near any windows or unlocking doors.”

She spoke with Leef’s family and friends, as well as her own, to reassure them he was all right, though she hadn’t spoken with the MP directly.

“I’m alone,” she said. “All the schools are under lockdown in Ottawa, the hospitals and the embassies. So the whole city is kind of in lockdown.”

Lang’s office put out a statement just after noon: “Thoughts and prayers are with our brave Canadian soldier who was shot while guarding the War Memorial this morning.”

Other northern-based federal politicians are also reported safe.

Dennis Bevington, an NDP MP from the Northwest Territories, was not in the capital this morning.

Premier Darrell Pasloski released a statement on behalf of the territorial government.

“Canadians have worked hard over the decades to build a safe and secure society for all our citizens,” he said.

“An incident such as the one developing today in Ottawa reminds us that we must continue to stand on guard for the freedom that we hold so dear.

“It is also a reminder of why we must support our military and police forces, as they are the ones who put themselves at risk and step forward to protect Canadians in times of crisis.”

The release foreshadowed the motion in support of Canadian troops his government had already planned to table tomorrow, the first day of the legislature’s fall sitting.

“The situation is still developing in Ottawa but in the days ahead, the details of today’s tragic incident will become clearer,” added Pasloski.

“Our government condemns cowardly acts of violence and terror such as the one Ottawa citizens and all Canadians are coping with today. We also stand ready to support our national government in whatever way we can.”

NDP Leader Liz Hanson also released a statement on the violence.

“Shock and great sadness greeted me this morning with the terrible news of shootings on and around Parliament Hill in Ottawa,” she said.

“The thoughts and prayers of our entire caucus are with its residents. We are in deep mourning with the news that a Canadian soldier has succumbed to his gunshot wounds.

 “We cannot give enough thanks to the brave first responders from the police services, military and parliamentary security that are bravely rising to the occasion and putting their lives at risk to secure Parliament and the city.

 “I share in the grief that comes with the violation of the sacred spaces of our democracy. I know that Canadians will stand together and, once the dust has settled on this terrible incident, rise to the occasion and reclaim them.”

See more coverage in today’s Nation section.