Hostage-Taker Killed at Discovery Channel HQ

A man holding three hostages at the Silver Spring, Md., headquarters of the Discovery Channel was shot to death by police Wednesday. The gunman was reported to be James J. Lee, a radical environmentalist who had been found guilty of disorderly conduct after a 2008 incident outside the building.

Wednesday’s shooting ended an anxious situation that began about four hours earlier when Lee entered the building. He was carrying at least one firearm, plus devices that could have been explosives, according to authorities.

The Wrap has more details about Lee here. 

Washington Post:

All three hostages are safe and all Discovery employees are accounted for, said Montgomery County Police Chief J. Thomas Manger.

[...] James J. Lee, a radical environmentalist who railed against the Discovery Channel for years, is now dead. Law enforcement officials fired at 4:48 p.m. Wednesday because police “believed the hostages’ lives were in danger,” Manger said.

Lee was hit by at least two rounds by officers who had set up inside the building, according to a law enforcement source. It is unclear how many officers fired their weapons.

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AP / Manuel Balce Ceneta

A sign at the Silver Spring, Md., headquarters of Discovery Communications.