James Jay Lee Dead: Gunman at Discovery Channel Building
James Jay Lee, a man known for protesting the Discovery Channel’s environmental programming stormed the network’s Maryland headquarters carrying a handgun on Wednesday, holding three people hostage for hours until he was shot and killed by police, according to authorities.
James Lee entered the building in Silver Spring around 1 p.m. and appeared to have a bomb strapped to his chest, police said. After hours of negotiations, the Montgomery County Police Department announced just before 5 p.m. that they had set off smoke bombs, allowing sharp-shooters to take the gunman down. All hostages escaped safely.
Montgomery County Police Chief J. Thomas Manger said an explosive device may have detonated, and the suspect may have brought other devices into the building.
The suspect was identified by Discovery Communications as James Jay Lee of San Diego, Calif., a man well-known to the building’s employees because of his history of protesting the network. Maryland police, however, have not yet confirmed the suspect’s identity.
Manger said the gunman had been wearing “what appeared to be metallic canister devices” when he entered the building.
The website, savetheplanetprotest.com, registered to James 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.”
Lee is believed to have distributed a manifesto outside the Discovery building several weeks ago that called on the network to “broadcast to the world their commitment to save the planet.”
“All programs on Discovery Health-TLC must stop encouraging the birth of any more parasitic human infants and the false heroics behind those actions,” the list of demands read.
