Hostage-taker hated shows of Discovery
Source: Agencies |
September 3, 2010, Friday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A gunman police shot to death after he took hostages at Discovery Channel's headquarters said he hated the company's shows such as "Kate Plus 8" because they promote population growth and its environmental programming because it did little to save the planet.
Three hostages, two Discovery Communications employees and a security guard, escaped unhurt after the four-hour standoff on Wednesday in Silver Spring, just outside Washington, D.C.
After several hours negotiating with the gunman, tactical officers moved in when authorities monitoring him on building security cameras saw him pull out a handgun and point it at a hostage, said Montgomery County Police Chief Thomas Manger.
Police identified James J. Lee yesterday as the suspect.
Manger said police shot and killed Lee after hostages began moving and police heard a "pop" they believed to be either a gunshot or an explosive device detonating.
Lee repeatedly said he was "ready to die," according to Manger.
It wasn't the first time Lee, a homeless former Californian, had targeted Discovery's headquarters. In February 2008, he was charged with disorderly conduct for staging a "Save the Planet Protest."
In court and online, he demanded an end to Discovery Communications LLC's shows such as TLC's "Kate Plus 8" - a reality show featuring a family with eight children - and "19 Kids and Counting."
Instead, he said, the network should air "programs encouraging human sterilization and infertility."
"Humans are the most destructive, filthy, pollutive creatures around and are wrecking what's left of the planet with their false morals and breeding cultures," Lee wrote in a bitter manifesto on his website.
Lee, 43, also objected to Discovery's environmental programming. He wrote in 2008 that a show he called "Planet Green" was "about more PRODUCTS to make MONEY, not actual solutions."
Police say the gunman burst into the building about 1pm and took hostages in the lobby on the first floor. A gun wasn't his only weapon, as an explosive device on his body detonated when police shot him, Manger said. Authorities later sent in a robot to disarm a device on Lee's body.
Manger told NBC television yesterday that the gunman had four explosive devices strapped to him. He described two of them as propane cylinders with pipes attached that contained shotgun shells. Manger said the other two were pipe bombs.
The building reopened briefly yesterday for employees to return, although the lobby remained closed as police investigate. Counselors were offering assistance to Discovery Channel employees.
Three hostages, two Discovery Communications employees and a security guard, escaped unhurt after the four-hour standoff on Wednesday in Silver Spring, just outside Washington, D.C.
After several hours negotiating with the gunman, tactical officers moved in when authorities monitoring him on building security cameras saw him pull out a handgun and point it at a hostage, said Montgomery County Police Chief Thomas Manger.
Police identified James J. Lee yesterday as the suspect.
Manger said police shot and killed Lee after hostages began moving and police heard a "pop" they believed to be either a gunshot or an explosive device detonating.
Lee repeatedly said he was "ready to die," according to Manger.
It wasn't the first time Lee, a homeless former Californian, had targeted Discovery's headquarters. In February 2008, he was charged with disorderly conduct for staging a "Save the Planet Protest."
In court and online, he demanded an end to Discovery Communications LLC's shows such as TLC's "Kate Plus 8" - a reality show featuring a family with eight children - and "19 Kids and Counting."
Instead, he said, the network should air "programs encouraging human sterilization and infertility."
"Humans are the most destructive, filthy, pollutive creatures around and are wrecking what's left of the planet with their false morals and breeding cultures," Lee wrote in a bitter manifesto on his website.
Lee, 43, also objected to Discovery's environmental programming. He wrote in 2008 that a show he called "Planet Green" was "about more PRODUCTS to make MONEY, not actual solutions."
Police say the gunman burst into the building about 1pm and took hostages in the lobby on the first floor. A gun wasn't his only weapon, as an explosive device on his body detonated when police shot him, Manger said. Authorities later sent in a robot to disarm a device on Lee's body.
Manger told NBC television yesterday that the gunman had four explosive devices strapped to him. He described two of them as propane cylinders with pipes attached that contained shotgun shells. Manger said the other two were pipe bombs.
The building reopened briefly yesterday for employees to return, although the lobby remained closed as police investigate. Counselors were offering assistance to Discovery Channel employees.
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