Published on: Wednesday, September 01, 2010

By Nick Coletta

SILVER SPRING - Police shot and killed a gunman inside the Discover Channel in Silver Spring Wednesday afternoon, freeing three hostages in the process.

James J. Lee, 43, a long time protestor of the Discovery Channel, allegedly stormed the network’s Maryland headquarters in Silver Spring Wednesday armed with a handgun and explosives, and held three people hostage until he was shot and killed by police, according to Montgomery County Police Chief J. Thomas Manger.

Manger said that Lee entered the building around 1 p.m. wearing a “metallic canister device” and told everyone to stand still. He then apparently gathered up the three hostages – two Discovery Communications employees and a security officer.

Manger said the suspect held the hostages in the lobby area of the first floor.

Police evacuated as many people as possible upon their arrival including children at a day care center located inside the Discovery Building. They were reportedly safely evacuated to a nearby McDonald's restaurant on Colesville Road.

The standoff ended at approximately 4:48 p.m. when Lee drew his weapon and appeared to point it at the hostages. Police then fatally shot Lee and the three hostages were rescued.

Other than Lee police say no one was injured.Manger said that the device on Lee’s chest discharged when he was shot, but they do not know if it discharged the way Lee had planned. Police will not say the results of the explosion.

Police were trying to determine whether two boxes and two backpacks the gunman also had, contained explosives.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Kevin Frazier said that when the standoff ended that there were still some suspicious packages around the building. He said that the Montgomery County bomb squad will “methodically” go through the nine- story building and either defuse any threatening items and/or clear the remaining items.

In March 2008, Lee was put on probation and ordered to remain at least 500 feet from the Discovery building in Silver Spring for the remainder of his probation after he was charged with disorderly conduct for paying homeless people to protest outside the building, according to County State's Attorney John McCarthy. His probation end Aug 18, McCarthy said.