James Lee, Suspect

It was a four hour standoff at the Discovery Channel headquarters in Silver Spring, Md., a suburb of Washington, D.C. today before three hostages were released and the man who held them captive was shot and killed.  Montgomery County Police Chief Thomas Manger said James Lee, 43, a frequent protestor, was upset with Discovery’s environmental programming for some time now.  Just after 1 p.m. he burst through the lobby of the headquartered building with a gun and canisters strapped to his body.  The canisters appeared to be explosives and Manger said the device went off, but he wouldn’t elaborate on the details. 
Witnesses report hearing multiple shots when Lee entered the building, but investigators have not verified that information either.  Lee has protested the network in the past because he believed Discovery had very little to do with actually saving the planet, and their focus was more on products to make money.  In 2008 Lee was arrested in Silver Spring for throwing money in the air and trying to draw crowds and attention to his message about the network.

1,900 people work inside the Discovery building and thankfully no one was injured.  The building also housed a daycare which is known to have at least 90 children at most in its facility.  The babies were wheeled out of the center in cribs and others were carried to a local fast food restaurant. 

 Montgomery County Police and the FBI did a fantastic job at working with the suspect and taking appropriate action to keep the hostages in this situation safe.

More to come as this story develops…