OTTAWA, Oct 24 (Reuters) - The body of a Canadian soldier shot dead while guarding the country's war memorial in Ottawa began the journey to his hometown on Friday, in a last ride along the nation's "Highway of Heroes."
Police said a home-grown radical, Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, killed Corporal Nathan Cirillo, 24, on Wednesday before fleeing into the Parliament building where he was shot dead near where Prime Minister Stephen Harper was meeting with lawmakers.
Mourners and supporters lined portions of a roughly 500-kilometer (310-mile) route along Lake Ontario where a black hearse accompanied by police vehicles was due to travel to the soldier's home in Hamilton, Ontario.
Comrades from Cirillo's unit, the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, dressed in ceremonial kilts, white boots and garters, carried his flag-draped coffin from an Ottawa funeral home to the hearse while bagpipes played.
The "Highway of Heroes" tradition dates to 2002 when Canada's first war dead began returning from Afghanistan, said Pete Fisher, author of "Highway of Heroes: True Patriot Love," which was published in 2011.
The route leads to a coroner's office in Toronto from an air base in Trenton, Ontario, where soldiers killed overseas were first taken. Mourners in the past have flocked to overpasses, hanging flags as a sign of respect.
"It's extremely emotional for everybody who stands on the bridge. Nobody knows what that family's going through but if in some way we can pass along our respects to them, it brings Canadians closer together," Fisher said.
"Every soldier that gets killed, that is a tragedy, but if the families can know they are supported, that helps."
Cirillo was one of two Canadian soldiers killed this week by homegrown radicals, dying in a Wednesday attack two days after a man in Quebec ran over two soldiers with his car, killing one, 53-year-old warrant officer Patrice Vincent.
Hamilton is an industrial city west of Toronto, where supporters bearing flags and wearing patriotic gear including the national hockey team jersey gathered outside his home.
(Writing by Scott Malone; Editing by Howard Goller)
Support HuffPost
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.
Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the 2024 presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall.
Would you join us to help keep our stories free for all? Your contribution of as little as $2 will go a long way.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you’ll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.