Jimmy Lee Dykes, the man who shot a bus driver, grabbed a kindergartener and holed up in a survivalist bunker with the child, is now dead after a week-long stand-off with the FBI.
PHOTOS: Alabama Hostage Situation OVER! Kidnapper Is Dead & Child Is Alive!
The child, 5-year-old Ethan, is now safe from harm and set to celebrate his sixth birthday with family, friends, and the Alabama town who prayed for his safe return.
But how exactly did authorities get inside the underground bunker to save Ethan from harm after 7 days?
According to the Huffington Post, police knew they had to make a move when they spotted abductor Jimmy Lee Dykes with a firearm.
Sheriff Wally Olson confirmed in a press conference held just after 10pm that Jimmy Lee Dykes was armed. Olson also said that communication with Dykes had “deteriorated” to the point that law enforcement officials felt that the hostage, Ethan, was in imminent danger and decided to move on the bunker.
Police were able to view Dykes through a camera they had lowered into the bunker, but they would not reveal how, saying that they may want to use the method in the future. An explosion was heard before FBI entered the bunker to rescue Ethan. Authorities are explaining what caused the blast.
The blast apparently came from a “diversionary device,” an FBI source confirmed to NBC News. FBI officers had lowered a camera into the bunker — which allowed them to determine when to throw in the flash-bang to distract Dykes. That’s when they entered through a door at the top of the bunker.
Ambulances arrived soon afterward. The bunker in which Dykes holed up was four feet underground. He equipped it with electricity and was said to possibly have weeks of supplies stored. Negotiators communicated to him through a ventilation pipe. Because of the risk of tornadoes in this part of Alabama, bunkers are relatively common fixtures on the landscape.
PHOTOS: WHAT?! Sheriff Thanks Captor For Taking Care Of Kindergartener He’s Holding Hostage!
At the Monday night press briefing, Olson said that Dykes, 65, was harmed when officers entered the bunker but he would not say how the captor died. A law enforcement official told NBC News they are waiting for the medical examiner’s report to determine the cause of death.
As for Ethan, he was transported to a hospital but is said to be in good spirits, laughing and smiling. And he’s sure to have the celebration of a lifetime in his Alabama town:
“I would image it’s going to be the greatest birthday that family and that little boy has ever experienced and probably will ever experience,” local pastor Michael Senn told TODAY.
Kudos to the patience and diligence of the law enforcement officers and happy birthday to little Ethan!
SOURCE: NBC | Huffington Post
