Gunman 'hated TV message on population'

A GUNMAN police shot dead after he took hostages at Discovery Channel's headquarters said he hated the company's shows such as Kate Plus 8 because they promoted population growth.

Three hostages - two Discovery employees and a security guard - escaped unhurt after the four-hour standoff in Silver Spring, outside Washington DC.

After several hours of negotiations, tactical officers moved in when authorities monitoring the man on security cameras saw him pull out a gun and point it at a hostage, said police chief Thomas Manger.

Paul Starks, a county police spokesman, identified James J Lee as the suspect.

Mr Manger said an officer shot and killed Lee after hostages began moving and police heard a "pop" they believed to be either a gunshot or an explosion.

Lee had repeatedly said he was "ready to die," according to Mr Manger.

It was not the first time Lee, a homeless man from California, had targeted Discovery's headquarters. In 2008, he was charged with disorderly conduct for staging a "Save the Planet" protest. In court and online, he had demanded an end to Discovery shows such as TLC's Kate Plus 8 - a reality show featuring a family with eight children - and 19 Kids and Counting.

Instead, he said, the network should air programmes "encouraging human sterilisation and infertility".

"Humans are the most destructive, filthy, pollutive creatures around and are wrecking what's left of the planet with their false morals and breeding cultures," Lee, 43, wrote on his website.

Police said the gunman burst into the building about 1pm and took hostages in the lobby on the first floor. An explosive device on his body detonated when police shot him.

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