Alabama hostage crisis ends, Jimmy Lee Dykes dead, Ethan free and doing well
Officers decided to storm the underground bunker where Jimmy Lee Dykes had been holding the boy after they determined he was in ‘imminent danger.’
The 5-year-old kindergartner, Etha, who has Asperger’s syndrome and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, was taken off a school bus Tuesday after police report Dykes killed the driver, Charles Poland.
“Negotiations deteriorated and Mr. Dykes was observed holding a gun,” Steve Richardson, an FBI special in charge at the scene said at a press conference.
“At this point, FBI agents, fearing the child was in imminent danger, entered the bunker and rescued the child.”
Special Agent Richardson also added that Dykes is now dead.
“The child appears physically unharmed and is being treated at a local hospital,” said Richardson, who refused to answer questions from reporters. “The subject (of the investigation) is deceased.”
Before the news conference, a man who lives near the underground bunker said he heard a boom and a gunshot when the rescue began.
No other details were immediately available.
[…] reinforce it against any raid, and when SWAT agents stormed the shelter Monday to rescue the boy, Dykes engaged in a firefight that left the captor dead, the FBI and officials […]