Police stand behind police tape after a RCMP officer was found shot dead in a building below Parliament Hill, in Ottawa on Thursday, March 17, 2016.Fred Chartrand/The Canadian Press
An RCMP officer was pronounced dead at hospital after being found with self-inflicted injuries inside a downtown Ottawa office building Thursday.
Ottawa Police were called to 33 Metcalfe St. at 8:55 a.m. for a medical call. Police said the incident posed no danger to the public.
The building is located near the busy intersection of Metcalfe and Sparks Streets, along the Sparks Street pedestrian mall route. The area was closed down and cordoned off by police tape. Flowers were laid outside of the building on Thursday afternoon, as an Ottawa police officer guarded the taped-off area.
Police confirmed a male was transported to hospital, where he was declared dead. They refused to provide any more details as the call was regarding a self-inflicted wound. The RCMP officer's name has not been released.
An RCMP vehicle was towed away from the scene Thursday morning.
Ottawa Police are handling the investigation.
In a statement Thursday, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale expressed condolences for the family, friends and colleagues of the RCMP officer, and said he had also spoken with RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson.
"I have spoken with Commissioner Paulson and he has advised me that the force is providing full support to the family, and also to RCMP personnel as they mourn the tragic loss of their colleague," read the minister's statement. "The RCMP is working closely with the Ottawa Police Service, which is leading the investigation into the circumstances around the member's death."