Discovery suspect James Lee is dead

By Washington Post editors

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Update, 5:50 p.m.

Montgomery County Police Chief Thomas Manger said that officers shot suspected Discovery gunman James J. Lee after he pointed a gun at a hostage. Manger said it's not clear whether Lee fired the weapon.

Manger said Lee has a history of conflict with Discovery.

At about 1 p.m. Lee entered the lobby of the Discovery building. Manger said he was wearing explosive devices and had two boxes and two backpacks. Lee was also carrying a handgun. Manger said while Lee displayed the gun, it is not clear whether he fired the weapon.

Manger said several people fled the lobby area, but Lee took three men hostage, including a security guard. Officers were able to watch Lee via camera and when they saw him aim the gun at a hostage, they shot him.

A Discovery official said they were familar with Lee.

Bomb squads from the Washington Metropolitan area are currently going through the building searching for possible explosives.

Update, 5:30 p.m.

Sources say that the suspect Discovery gunman, James J. Lee is dead.

Lee was carrying identification that listed the Silver Spring address for Community Vision and Shepherd's Table, two programs offering services, including postal services, to the homeless and those without fixed addresses.

Records at the site showed Lee signed up more than two years ago for mail distribution via Shepherd's Table but never used it or used any other services "in the recent past or present" said Priscilla Fox-Morrill, director of Homeless Services for Interfaith Works and Jacki Coyle, executive director of Shepherd’s Table in a joint statement on Wednesday. He had no other connections to the programs, they said in the release.

The programs are housed at 8210 Colonial Lane in Silver Spring, which the statement said is a publicly owned property of the Montgomery County government. Police told program its address was on ID carried by the armed suspect.

Update, 5:00 p.m.

Montgomery County Police Chief Thomas Manger said that three hostages have been released. Manger said the suspect, James J. Lee, was shot at about 4:50 p.m. He is in custody but his condition is unknown at this time.

Police continue to search the building out of concern that more devices may be inside.

Lee, armed with a gun and an explosive device entered the Discovery Communications building in downtown Silver Spring on Wednesday afternoon and took several people hostage including a security guard, Montgomery County Police said.

Police responded after receiving a 911 call about 1 p.m. of shots fired in the lobby. Police said they do not have confirmation that any shots were fired.

Some employees were evacuated. Others told to go to the highest floor in the building. An e-mail to Discovery employees had the subject line: "URGENT: Employees at One Discovery Place Proceed to a Locked Office IMMEDIATELY."

Update: 4:55 p.m.

Patricia Kollappallil, head of communications for Animal Planet, one of Discovery's channels, said security guards and a Discovery executive helped her and other employees on the eighth floor leave by going down the back stairs. She said she was on the phone when she heard an announcement over the public address system, advising everyone to stay locked in the building. She went into the hallway, where she was told that somebody with a gun was downstairs. She said the evacuation was orderly.

"Everyone was very calm," she said. "We were all moved so quickly. Some people didn't have their phones. I grabbed my purse."

She said employees were milling around street corners a few blocks away, or waiting in a nearby restaurant.

Update, 4:30 p.m.

Jose Quinones, 49, Silver Spring said he heard shots fired when he got off the Y7 bus to switch to the J2 at about 1 p.m. Wednesday afternoon.

"I got off and started to see police cars," he said. "All of a sudden I heard a series of shots--ta ta ta ta ta! I ran across the street."

Quinones said the police were already here, behind cars with their guns drawn. He cannot say if police returned fire. "It drew my attention. I was 'what the hell?' It was like a movie."

Update, 3:40 p.m.

Montgomer County Police Chief Thomas Manger said negotiations with the suspected gunman who was identified by federal law enforcement officials as James Jay Lee, have been going on for an hour.

Manger described the suspected gunman as an Asian male wearing vest with what appeared to be two pipebombs and two canisters strapped to it. He was also waving a gun. About 1900 employees work at the Discovery Building. Manger said a small number of hostages was being held, but could offer no information about their identities. Witnesses said they saw four people on the ground. Police say not aware of any injuries.

Manger said they would give another update in 30 minutes.

Update, 3:30 p.m.

At a briefing for reporters, Montgomery County Police Chief Thomas Manger said that a ". . .small group number of hostages," is being held by the suspected gunman who federal officials have identified as James Jay Lee.

Update, 3:20 p.m.

Federal law enforcement sources have confirmed the suspect is James Jay Lee.

Update 3:10 p.m.

Several stores in downtown Silver Spring, including Toys R Us Express, Pier 1 and Borders, have closed their doors.

The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington also notified parents of children at St. Michael the Archangel School -- which is less than two blocks from the Discovery building -- that the building is on "lockdown status," according to an email sent to parents. All students were accounted for but all doors were shut and all shades were drawn, archdiocese officials said.

Update, 3:05 p.m.

Brian Slone, 28, was at his desk when a coworker called from outside the building telling him of the situation. A short time later an alert came over the intercom.



"I'm thinking Columbine all of the sudden and guys walking around with guns," Slone said.

People immediately worried about kids at the daycare on the same floor as the gunman, though they were on an opposite side of the building. Slone said the updates on what to do came swiftly and people stayed calm.



"You don't expect something like this to happen in a creative company, in a family culture like we have here," he said. "but I guess it can."

Update, 2:46 p.m.: "Law enforcement official confirms the name of suspect James Jay Lee," according to NBC Washington.

In March 2008, the Gazette reported that:

The California man who was arrested after throwing thousands of dollars into the air at a rally outside of Discovery Communications last month was told by a judge on Friday that he would be thrown in jail for up to 60 days if he came within 500 feet of the building.

James Jay Lee, 40, of San Diego was also given six months of supervised probation and fined $500 by Associate Judge Stephen P. Johnson, who quipped that if Lee was so keen on throwing money away, ‘‘you can give some to the state.”

Update, 2:36 p.m.: The hostage is a security guard at the building, according to WTTG Fox 5.

Update, 2:19 p.m.: Police inside the building are speaking with the suspect, according to WUSA 9 TV.

Police have come out from behind their barricades, according to TBD-TV.

The suspect appears to be an Asian male, police told the station.

Update, 2:10 p.m.: Children at a day care center in the Discovery Building has been safely evacuated to a nearby McDonalds. Fox 5 reports that traffic is beginning to back up on the Beltway.

Earlier post: A man with what appears to be an explosive device on him has taken at least one hostage at the Discovery Building in downtown Silver Spring, Montgomery County Police said.

Cpl. Dan Friz said police received a call about 1 p.m., of shots fired in the lobby.

Tactical officers are on the scene and developing a plan to deal with the situation.

Police initially said the building was being evacuated, but employees said they were told via email to stay at their desks.

Officers have not fired their weapons, Friz said,

The building, as well as areas near it, are being evacuated, she said.

Discovery employees said they were told via email to stay at their desks. Some have said on their Twitter accounts that shots have been fired, but police have not confirmed that.

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-- Dan Morse





