SILVER SPRING, Md. —
Police shot and killed a man upset with the Discovery Channel network's programming who took two employees and a security officer hostage at the company's headquarters Wednesday, officials said. All three hostages escaped safely.
Police spent several hours negotiating with the gunman, who was upset about the network's programming, after he burst into the suburban Washington building about 1 p.m. waving a handgun and with canisters strapped to his body.
Montgomery County Police Chief Thomas Manger said one explosive device detonated on the gunman's body when they shot him, and they were working to determine whether two boxes and two backpacks he also had with him were explosives. The 1,900 people who work in the building were able to get out safely.
Manger said officers were monitoring Lee on building security cameras and tactical officers moved in when they saw him pull out the handgun and point it at one of the hostages.
A law enforcement official speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing said authorities had identified James J. Lee as the likely suspect.
A different official, who spoke on condition of anonymity for the same reason, said Lee previously protested outside the building, where he was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct in February 2008, according to court records.
Police reports indicate he paid homeless people to join his protest and carry signs outside the building. He gave one individual $1,000 for what he considered a prize winning essay.
At one point, a crowd of more than 100 people gathered around Lee, 43, who referred to money as "just trash" and began throwing fistfuls of it into the air.
National, International News
Related Photos
-
Police block the street in front of the headquarters of the Discovery Channel networks Wednesday in Silver Spring, Md. Police say a gunman has taken at least one person hostage in the building. The Associated Press
-
In this image released by the Montgomery County Police, James J. Lee is seen in a booking mugshot from 2008 on disorderly conduct. Lee, 43, a gunman with what police described as "concerns" with the Discovery Channel networks took at least one person hostage in the company's Silver Spring, Md., headquarters Wednesday.
Discussion
U.S. Discovery hostage drama ends fatally
Gunman shot; three hostages freed
- National, International News
-
-
Van der Sloot pleads guilty to killing Peru woman
-
Election-year goals of Christian group questioned
In the 1940s, an argument erupted among a group of American Christians far from the mainstream.
-
Campaign China-bashing obscures real problems
It’s open season on China in the Republican race for the presidential nomination, and Mitt Romney is leading the charge. Newt Gingrich and some other candidates are on his heels, painting China as the bogeyman responsible for America’s economic ills.
-
Citigroup earnings rise 74 percent, to $3.8 billion
Citigroup Inc.’s earnings rose 74 percent in the third quarter as more of its customers paid their bills on time, leading to lower losses from loans. An accounting gain also boosted income.
-
Senators announce agreement on education law
Signaling some unity in the Senate on overhauling the “No Child Left Behind” law, two senators announced Monday an agreement to move forward on bipartisan legislation to revamp it.
-
High court to rule on lying about military medals
The Supreme Court will decide if telling a lie about yourself is a crime — if the lie claims military medals you didn’t earn.
-
Dead trees will mar Texas landscape for years
Pockets of brown, sickly trees mar the traditionally majestic pine woods in East Texas. Leafless oaks can be seen across the state. Even native drought-resistant cedars are dying off in some areas after proliferating during the last century.
-
Big bucks: Romney, Perry top GOP fundraising race
Republicans Mitt Romney and Rick Perry are neck and neck in filling their presidential campaign coffers after a summer of strong fundraising amid voter anger over jobs and the economy. They’re pulling in big bucks — $30 million combined — though not nearly as big as the man they hope to replace in the White House.
-
New iPhone launch turns into remembrance for Jobs
It wasn’t just the latest iPhone that drew people to Apple stores Friday.
-
Wall Street protesters thwart eviction attempt
Anti-Wall Street protesters exulted Friday after beating back a plan to clear them from the park they have occupied for the past month, saying the victory will embolden the movement across the U.S. and beyond.
- More National, International News Headlines
-
