The father of the reservist who stood next to Cpl. Nathan Cirillo at the National War Memorial says the two young men “had no chance to defend themselves” when a gunman attacked.

Jim Stevenson said Cirillo and his son, Cpl. Branden Stevenson, had a “unique” friendship and spent a lot of time together. That included guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the war memorial when Michael Zehaf-Bibeau appeared with a rifle Wednesday and fatally shot Cirillo.

“It’s tragic. Although they have ceremonial rifles, they are not armed and this coward came out of nowhere … and from behind attacked them,” Jim Stevenson told CTV Winnipeg. 

“They had no chance to defend themselves. They were doing what they both loved. It’s just despicable.”

Stevenson said he was at a golf course in Winnipeg when news of the Ottawa shooting broke. He saw a picture of his son and Cirillo on TV and initially did not know which one of them had been shot.

It took him three agonizing hours to find out that his son was OK. But he was devastated to learn that Cirillo had died of his injuries.

The RCMP said Thursday that the gunman had also fired a shot at Branden Stevenson, but missed.

His father called the attack “despicable” and “cowardly.”

He said it was Cirillo who got his son involved in the military. Both were members of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders infantry unit in Hamilton, Ont. 

“(Nathan) was like everything that was in his pictures.  Just full of life, great sense of humour,” Stevenson said. “My boy and him were very close. They had a unique relationship.

“It’s a shame that such a beautiful young man had to be taken away.”

Stevenson, who has been living in Winnipeg since 2008, said he will be travelling back to Hamilton soon and hopes to see his son there.

“I’m going to give him one big hug.”