Vickers participated in ending the October 22, 2014, shootings at Parliament Hill alongside RCMP Constable Curtis Barrett when they both returned heavy fire at gunman Zehaf-Bibeau. Minutes earlier, Zehaf-Bibeau had killed Corporal Nathan Cirillo, a soldier, at the Canadian National War Memorial and shot a constable at the Peace Tower entrance. For his actions Vickers has been called a hero by the Prime Minister, Ministers of the Crown, the Leader of the Opposition, and Canadian and international media. Barrett's contribution was largely ignored. On February 8, 2016, Vickers was presented with the Star of Courage along with six others involved in bringing the incident under control. Eight others were awarded the Medal of Bravery.