Discovery Channel hostage-taker shot dead

Man who stormed the station’s Maryland headquarters was killed by police.

A four hour hostage drama at Discovery Channel headquarters ended yesterday when police shot and killed the gunman. The three employees he was holding hostage escaped unharmed. The full motives of the gunman, identified as James Lee, 43, are unknown, but online messages attributed to him show he was concerned that the network was encouraging environmentally destructive practices. Among his demands were that the channel air excerpts from Ishmael, a popular book by Daniel Quinn about a telepathic gorilla. Lee was convicted of disorderly conduct in 2008 after protesting outside the Discovery Channel.