"He did a great job and, from what I know, shot the gunman and he is now deceased."

Hailed as a hero: Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers. Credit:Reuters

The Sergeant-at-Arm's role is to keep order in Parliament and participate in the daily parade that opens the deliberative body at the start of the session. The job is not usually associated with armed security.

Kudos and words of support flooded in over Twitter after the officer reportedly halted the attack in the Parliament building.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was addressing a meeting of legislators from his Conservative Party in Parliament on Wednesday when the armed man burst into the building and ran right by the door of the room, a cabinet minister told Reuters.