Canada's Parliament was on lockdown Wednesday as one or more gunmen shot and wounded a soldier at a nearby square, then entered the building firing as many as 30 shots, according to witnesses and media reports.

A gunman was said to be dead from returning gunshots inside the Ottawa parliament building, CBC TV said. Prime Minister Stephen Harper was among those evacuated from the building.

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Kevin Lamourex, Canadian Parliament deputy house leader, said Wednesday was the regular parliament caucus meeting with ministers meeting when the shots were heard.

"I thought it was like fire alarm situation when I was in the caucus room," Lamourex said. "Then, I heard rapid gunfire that was very loud. People were eager to exit the building and we went out back."

Police warned people to stay away from the area that includes numerous government building and public spaces. Police continued to scour the area for gunmen around noon Eastern Standard Time as an ambulance transported the wounded soldier to a nearby hospital. As many as three gunmen may have been involved, police said.

The shooting of the soldier took place near the National War Memorial. One armed person shot the soldier standing guard at the memorial, and then ran inside the parliament foyer where dozens of shots were heard.

It wasn't immediately known whether anybody else had been wounded in the attack.

The FBI said it was assisting Canadian authorities. FBI officials asked all field offices to raise alert postures, reminding them of a recent bulletin asking law enforcement officers remain vigilant in the wake of ISIS chatter calling for attacks on U.S. military and law enforcement facilities.

The shooting came in the midst of several hectic days for Canadian authorities following the national terrorism threat level being raised from low to medium. This was due to an incident in Quebec Monday involving a suspected Jihadist who ran over two soldiers with a car, killing one.

TagsCanadian parliament, shooting, memorial, Shot, soldier, Ottawa