The week-long nightmare for a child, his family and a community is over. The child, Ethan, is at a hospital and is reportedly not injured but being examined by doctors. Jim Lee Dykes, who kidnapped the boy and murdered Charles Poland, the school bus driver who tried to protect the students on his bus, is dead.
According to the Dotham AL Eagle, shots were heard a little after 3:30 this afternoon. Negotiations had fallen apart:
The standoff ended after negotiations with Dykes deteriorated and law enforcement observed Dykes holding a gun. It was then that they entered the underground bunker and rescued the boy. How Dykes died was not immediately released.
Will there be any discussion about the role hate radio played in fueling this mans anger? Where did this man get his gun? If he was known to have shot at neighbors, why was he still carrying that gun?
Slate.com'stracker now reports 1545 deaths by gun in the US since the Sandyhook massacre in Newtown, CT. It isn't clear whether Jim Lee Dykes, the man at the center of this latest tragedy killed himself or was killed by the FBI. Either way, this means the number is 1546.
For now, the little boy known to his mother as "Lovebug" is safe. Let's hope the legacy of this nightmare is something he will someday overcome.
"This Wiregrass nightmare is finally over," State Rep. Steve Clouse said. "We’re very thankful Ethan is safe and back in the arms of his family. We must still remember the family of Charles Poland. Because of his actions, more than 20 people on that bus are still alive.”
More about this story and questions about the role, if any, conservative talk radio played here:
Killer/kidnapper in AL: Did conservative talk radio fuel his anger?
FBI - Midland City, AL