Discovery Channel Hostage Suspect Dead; James Lee Shot, Killed say Police

SILVER SPRING, Md. CBS/AP) A man upset with the Discovery Channel's environmental programming who took three people hostage at gunpoint at the company's headquarters Wednesday has been shot and killed by police, officials said.

All three hostages are safe, police said.

CBS News reports that the gunman has died, according to a law enforcement source. A source at the Discovery Channel building told CBS News that SWAT personnel fired the shots that killed the suspect.

Earlier, Montgomery County Police Chief Thomas Manger told reporters he did not know whether police killed the gunman when the hostages escaped.

Police spent several hours negotiating with him after he burst into the suburban Washington building about 1 p.m. waving a handgun and with canisters strapped to his body.

Police believe the man is James Lee, 43, a federal law enforcement official told CBS News. Lee has protested at the Discovery Communications site before.

According to a story in The Gazette, which covers Montgomery County, Lee was arrested there in 2008 after throwing thousands of dollars in the air outside the building.

At a news conference early Wednesday evening, Manger said police shot the suspect approximately 10 minutes before Manger spoke to reporters, putting the shooting around 4:50 p.m. Manger said the "device" the suspect wore went off; however, Manger wouldn't elaborate on the suspect's condition other than saying he was in custody.

"He went down, and the device went off," Manger said.

The metallic canisters on the suspect's front and back appeared to explosives, though police did not confirm whether or not they are real.

"We're going on the assumption that they could be explosive devices," Manger told reporters earlier. "That's the only way we can proceed."

Adam Dolan, a sales director in Discovery's education division, told The Associated Press by phone that the company has unarmed security guards who won't let anyone into the building without a badge.

Police were talking to the suspect since about 2:20 p.m. ET.

Manger said that there are no reports of injuries from the building's 1,900 employees.

The initial report was of a suspicious package that was possibly explosive, said Montgomery County fire spokesman Capt. Oscar Garcia, who also said no one had been injured.

Witnesses have reported that the man has fired multiple shots, though police have not confirmed those details.

Montgomery County police, SWAT teams, and explosives experts were on the scene and have set up a perimeter of roughly 200 yards around the building. The FBI and ATF were also on the scene.

A website registered to Lee criticized Discovery and announced plans for the protest in January 2008: "These guys have been very sneaky and deceptive as to their contribution to the planetary problems. Just look at their 'new' show about saving the planet, 'Planet Green,' to me, it's just another show about more PRODUCTS to make MONEY, not about actual solutions. We can't let them get away with doing it anymore."

After his 2008 arrest, Lee said he planned the protest because Discovery's programming had little to do with saving the planet. He was identified then as being from San Diego, Calif., although he gave a local address of a homeless shelter.

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.

At the trial, he said he began working to save the planet after being laid off from his job in San Diego. He said he was inspired by "Ishmael," a novel by environmentalist Daniel Quinn and by former Vice President Al Gore's documentary "An Inconvenient Truth."

A magistrate ordered a doctor's evaluation for Lee, but court records do not immediately indicate the result. Lee was convicted by a jury and served two weeks in jail. He was also ordered to stay 500 feet away from Discovery headquarters.

Discovery Communications Inc. operates cable and satellite networks in the U.S., including The Discovery Channel, TLC and Animal Planet. Discovery shows include "Cash Cab" and "Man vs. Wild," and TLC airs "American Chopper" and "Kate Plus Eight."

Animal Planet also airs the controversial series "Whale Wars," about attempts by environmentalists to disrupt the Japanese whaling industry.

The Discovery building was part of a major redevelopment of once-troubled Silver Spring during the 1990s.