911 callers describe Discovery Channel gunman with device strapped to his body

911 callers describe Discovery Channel gunman

SILVER SPRING, Md. — Emergency calls placed minutes after a gunman entered the Discovery Channel’s headquarters include descriptions of the propane tanks strapped to his body and a blinking device in his left hand.

Montgomery County police released recordings of radio transmissions and frantic 911 calls Friday, two days after a man held three people hostage for hours at the Discovery Communications building in Silver Spring, Md. Police say 43-year-old James Lee was shot dead by officers as the captives were preparing to make a break for it.

Lee had for years ranted against the Discovery networks in Web posts.

In one call, a security employee calmly says he believes it is Lee and he has at least one person on the ground. He describes the propane tanks and blinking device.