dykes was observed holding a gun. at this point fbi agents fearing the child was in eminent danger entered the bunker and rescued the child. the child appears physically unharmed and is being treated at a local hospital. the subject is deceased. the resolution in this matter is a direct result of extraordinary collaboration between law enforcement at all levels. the exhausted efforts and dedication of this community's law enforcement is truly exemplary. i want to thank everyone in this community that has supported us through out the past few days. i know there are several questions that need to be answered, and more questions to come. we will have an opportunity to address these later as more details become available. thank you very much. >> at this time i wanted to thank everybody for your continued patience, the community's support. we appreciate everybody in law enforcement pulling together to get this job done. thank you. >> on behalf of the alabama department of safety and this great state of alabama we had all o

dykes. >> is he making any demands? >> at this time, like i said, i can only answer a few questions. and i've got to get back across the street. our pio is going to talk to you about further information down the road. thank you. >> if you have any questions, you can send them to my e-mail address, kevin.cook@dps -- >> again, sheriff wally olson of the dale county sheriff's office. they announced there will be another press conference tonight. the update, again, there's been open line of communication and mr. dykes has informed negotiators that there is electricity there, he has electric heaters and blankets. and he has allowed negotiators to provide coloring books, toy, medication. we have been told early on that this boy needed medication for asthma and possibly asperger's. no details about communication as it relates to a television or radio. but i can tell you this -- authorities have told us several times that they did not want us to show live the tactics that were happening as they were approaching this property. a

dykes activated. was it a diversionary device that you guys used in the process of doing this today? >> i can't talk about sources, techniques or methods that we used. however, i will tell you that the success story is ethan is out safe with his mother right now. >> can you tell us about the amount of supplies that mr. dykes had inside the bunker? >> i can't comment on that. what i can tell you is that there will be a thorough investigation of the crime scene. and the important thing is that we do it right. we have an independent review team coming in from washington, d.c., who will do a thorough independent and complete investigation of the entire operation. >> have you determined, did mr. dykes have the bunker rigged for explosives? >> i can't comment on that. >> can you talk about the methodology of your communication with mr. dykes? >> we were speaking with the subject, i can tell you that. other than that, i can't go into detail, sorry. >> sheriff, can i ask you, did you have any prior contact wi

and dykes developed a routine. he would ask for supplies. they would leave them at the entrance of his underground bunker. the f.b.i.'s hostage rescue team exploited that routine to end the stand-off. this video is our first glimpse of the dykes' property, the scene of the seven-day stand-off. sources tell us when dykes climbed the eight-foot ladder to get supplies yesterday and reached up to open the door, he was off balance and vulnerable. agents believed ethan would be away from the ladder and relatively protected. when rescue team members above dykes saw the door open they dropped two stun grenades. the noise and blinding flashes disoriented him. within seconds four team members entered the bunker. officials believe he fired a shot at them but missed. they returned fire multiple times killing dykes and rescuing the boy. these recent photos show ethan with his mother. she released a statement of thanks today. it said i woke up this morning to the most beautiful sight: my sweet little boy. i can't describe how incredible it is to hold him

dykes. you know, this did end with one person dead, that suspect, mr. dykes. tell me, what do you know about him and have you been in touch -- has anyone been in touch with any of his family? >> that's been one thing i have been wondering. we had conversation with several folks. i have not had confirmation he had family in this part of the country or any at all to be honest with you. >> pastor senn, thank you for joining us. martin, i'm going to throw it back to you. >> thanks so much. we're hearing -- we've learned that the hostage taking there in midland, alabama, was resolved at 3:12 this afternoon. fbi agents safely recovered the child who had been held hostage for about a week. 24 hours of negotiations had deteriorated where mr. dykes was observed holding a gun. mr. dykes has since died. thank you so much for watching this afternoon. the child is safe. chris matthews and "hardball" is next. ♪ >>> welcome back to "hardball." as we pointed out in the past few weeks there are several state

according to veteran negotiators, dykes needs to hear one overriding message.here is a peaceful way out. >> little things go a long way. small things make big gains. so they're going to look for small ways to agree that it will eventually put them on the right path to getting everybody out safely. >> reporter: dykes has agreed to allow medicine for a kindergartener to be delivered. ethan reportedly has aspergers syndrome and a form of adhd. what happens if he doesn't get it? >> he needs to keep taking it in order to have those effects, the calming effects to reduce his hyperactivity, increase his focus, decrease his impulsivity. >> reporter: jamie howard is a child psychologist who specializes in trauma. and that would all be good in a tense hostage situation. >> we want him to be as calm as possible and not to agitate this man. >> reporter: 5-year-old ethan is reportedly watching tv in the bunker but he's also been crying for his parents who have been meeting with authorities throughout their ordeal. >> if i were talking to the parents, i'd say i know you're s

negotiators used it to communicate at times with dykes. communications growing tenser and tenser, they say, until a decision was made to go in. so now this man, jimmy lee dykes, is dead, killed by an fbi team. his captive ethan -- we're withholding his last name -- is out of the hospital and said to be doing well. in a moment, what lies ahead for him. we'll talk with ed smart. he of course was lucky enough to be able to help his daughter elizabeth heal after being held captive for months. john walsh. "america's most wanted" is also going to join us. and we'll talk with the son of the heroic bus driver who died trying to stop the kidnapper. first though there's a lot more unfolding at this moment. martin savidge has the latest from the crime scene. marty, what are we learning? >> reporter: anderson, you were talking about both those photos and, now, the word of these explosive devices. we've been told all day long by authorities that one of the reasons why the public wasn't being allowed in the area was the concern for these explosive devic

dykes. we queried authorities.y answer was they couldn't confirm anything because they have not seen him. again, maybe reading too much into those words, but that phrasing is very interesting, wolf. >> let's talk a little about jimmy lee dykes. the man who allegedly boarded a school bus and shot and killed a driver, charles allen poland jr. before taking this little 5-year-old hostage and take him to this underground bunker here in midland city, alabama. what else do we know about this suspect? >> well, you know, he's been estranged from his family according to those who have been neighbors to mr. dykes. they say his family hasn't had much to do with him over the past couple of years. he is a military veteran. he served during the time of the vietnam war. he was in the u.s. navy. and he worked in the aviation assets but primarily we're told he worked doing paperwork and things like that. so it's not like he was a fro - front-line combat troop but he certainly served during the vietnam war and we're also told by nei

dykes you have to be careful.t of device you might use against him could obviously harm ethan because he's right there. >> reporter: ethan is now at a local hospital for treatment and said to be physically unharmed. local children wrote cards for ethan's sixth birthday. >> he's my friend and i love playing with him. >> reporter: and prayed at church services. >> ethan, hang tough, little man. we love you. we are praying for you. >> reporter: tonight hugs and thanks that the prayers have been answered. i'm gio benitez in midland city, alabama. >> our thanks. >>> just ahead, hits like "she's my kind of rain" made tim mcgraw a country legend. he opens up about marriage, his new album and what made him stop drinking. it's not what you think. it's a phoenix with 4 wheels. it's a hawk with night vision goggles. it's marching to the beat of a different drum. and where beauty meets brains. it's big ideas with smaller footprints. and knowing there's always more in the world to see. it's the all-new lincoln mkz. i had[ desi

dykes was observed -- was observed holding a gun. at this point, f.b.i. agents fearing the child was in imminent danger entered the bunker and rescued the child. >> reporter: the standoff began last tuesday when dykes allegedly boarded this school bus and demanded hostages. police say when the driver, charles poland, jr., refused, dykes shot and killed him. dykes grabbed five-year-old ethan and kept anymore a 24 square foot underground shelter with electricity, heat and television. police communicated with dykes through a four inch ventilation pipe and they supplied the child with cheese crackers, coloring books and toy cars. cbs news has also learned that the f.b.i.'s hostage rescue team created a diversion, that was the two loud bangs. they went in through the top of the bunker and it was over within seconds. we've also learned at some point during the standoff they inserted a camera. that's how they were able to see dykes was walking around with a gun today. as one agent told us, we had eyes on him the whole time. scott, we also talked to a member of e

law enforcement sources say dykes fired on the agents. they fired back. and moments later, dykes was dead and ethan was safe. the fbi and highly specialized s.w.a.t. teams spent seven days planning the raid, while hostage negotiators tried to keep dykes talking. we boarded a helicopter here in southern alabama to get our first look at dykes' underground bunker site. you can see here a number of small structures on this lot of land. but look. what dykes didn't know, just across the street, the fbi had recently built this mock bunker, to train agents for different scenarios. >> you can practice breaching the door. you can practice how to get a camera inside. and ultimately design how you're going to assault this bunker. >> reporter: as authorities swarmed the ground above, hostage negotiators remained in contact with dykes, speaking through a ventilation pipe. authorities were able to sneak a small camera inside the six by eight foot bunker to monitor dykes' movements. then, when authorities saw dykes becoming increasingly agitated and holding a gun, they p

now jimmy lee dykes is dead, killed by an fbi team. his captive ethan -- we're withholding his last name -- is out of the hospital and said to be doing well. in a moment, what lies ahead for him. we'll talk with ed smart. he was able to help his daughter elizabeth heal after being held captive for months. john walsh. and we'll talk with the son of the heroic bus driver who died trying to stop the kidnapper. >>> there's a lot unfolding. martin savidge has more from the crime scene. >> reporter: you were talking about both those photos and now the word of these explosive devices. we've been told all day long by authorities that one of the reasons why the public wasn't being allowed in the area was the concern for these explosive devices. now we learn there were two of them, one located inside the bunker, which would show you how dangerous it was the entire time for that young child and the agents that made the entry. the other device was found inside that pvc pipe, which was used for the communication. in those photographs you might have

dykes have the bunker rigged for explosives? >> i can't comment on that. >> can you talk about the methodology of communication with mr. dykes? >> we were speaking with the subject, i can tell you that. other than that, i can't go into detail, sorry. >> sheriff, can i ask you, did you have any prior contact with this fellow before this incident? did he have any kind of a record with your department? >> we arrested him on charges december 22nd. and that -- to my knowledge, that's the only contact my office has had with him. >> who did that involve? >> at this time i'm not at liberty to say that. >> how were you getting toys and supplies down into the bunker? >> we had arranged to try to get him some of those toys and things of that nature. >> would you guys say that negotiations started to break down today, can you go into any detail? >> why characterize that -- you seem like you guys have had a pretty civil relationship up until -- >> it just -- it just got really tough to negotiate with him and communicate with him. i appreciat

there was dykes' state of mind.eighbors described him as a paranoid anti-government loner fixated on a conspiracy involving horse racing. >> he used to keep notebooks of horse races. he always said that mafia run the horse races. >> reporter: sources close to the case say while talking to police from his bunker, a contentious dykes would ramble on about his theory and wanted to get his message out. >> he feels like he has a story that's important to him although it's very complex. >> reporter: in the early hours of the stand-off, local authorities contemplated sending in a local reporting to talk to dykes. local blogger ricky stokes was the first reporter on the scene capturing this video. he says authorities approached him with the idea. and you were willing to go along with that? >> anything they needed me to do, if it meant me showing you to use equipment or many going into the bunker, i was willing to do just like everybody involved in the operation over there would have done. >> reporter: in the end, the plan w

dykes for allowing the medication to come to the little boy. the diversion of the coloring books is a sympathetic effort on your part. i know you have some grievances that you would like to address and i underand it that. a lot of americans have grievances with the government and many do have that. this little boy is not the government. he a is an innocent victim and basically your words that we all are going to hear and anxious to hear have a great deal more weight if this little boy is released back to his family. i know you served our country in the military. i know you understand duty and we all have duty to protect the children of our nation and i would hope that you would consider allowing him to go back to see his family who desperately miss him. one other thing is that if you choose that path you need to understand that you will be streeted with dignity and honor. there will be no embarrassment levied upon you by walking calmly into custody where you will be met with attorneys who will represent you and you will have your day in court.

dykes then grabbed ethan. the 65-year-old vietnam veteran was described by neighbors as an angry man.he patrolled his property with a gun. he was facing a court case for threatening neighbors. he was said by one to have beaten her dog to death. during the siege, negotiators kept talking to dykes. he allowed them to pass toys, food, and medicine through a ventilation pipe. ethan is said to have asperger syndrome.>> over the past 24 hours, our communications with the suspect had deteriorated. we were certainly concerned for the safety of the child. i can tell you that i have been to the hospital. i have visited with ethan. he is doing fine. he is laughing, joking, playing, eating -- things you would expect a normal five-year-old to six-year-old young man to do. >> vigils were held each day and night for him. friends made birthday cards. it is his sixth birthday on wednesday. now there is cause for celebration. bbc news, washington.>> they were branded ireland's fallen women. from single women to victims of abuse

how did authorities know that dykes had a gun? the bunker was four feet below. >> interestingly enough within we learned through the u.s. military, through a few sources confirmed to cnn, that the military loaned to the fbi high-tech detection device typically used to find homemade bombs in war zones. we do not know if this specifically was used to find that gun. it was on site. there were military members on site. we know those military members would have only been in support roles and were not involved in the raid that went in to save ethan. >> victor blackwell, live for us this morning. thank you very much. >>> new developments in the murders of well-known exnavy s.e.a.l. chris kyle and his friend, chad littlefield at a texas shooting range, police say the suspect, 25-year-old eddie ray routh, an iraq war veteran suffered from post traumatic stress disorder. he had been taken to a mental hospital twice over the past five months after threatening to kill his family and himself. the former marine is currently on so you cried watc

they returned fire multiple times, killing dykes and rescuing the boy. these recent photos show ethan with his mother. she released a statement of thanks today. it said, "i woke up this morning to the most beautiful sight-- my sweet little boy. i can't describe how incredible it is to hold him again." ethan's relatives say that physically, he seems fine, but they're worried about long-term emotional injuries. scott, his relatives are worried about the possible emotional injuries. he was released from the hospital today just in time for his sixth birthday tomorrow. >> pelley: former assistant director of the fbi john miller, you've been talking to the sources today. what did they find in the bunker? >> they found bombs in the bunker. as soon as the rescue operators were out of there, the fbi bomb technician went in and started a very careful search. they founded a number of crude homemade explosive devices. >> pelley: any idea what dykes intended to do with them? >> you know, they were already aware of these devices, because they had managed to sneak a ca

dykes. he feels like he has a story that's important to him, although it's very complex. >> reporter: ethan had been held captive in an underground bunker beneath dykes' property, stocked full of supplies, including blankets and a heater. dykes had allowed negotiators to drop crackers, toys and coloring books down a ventilation pipe. while police used cameras mounted on a small unmanned aircraft to keep an eye on the bunker site, s.w.a.t. teams on the ground were ready to move. police assumed dykes was watching television coverage of the crime and kept their comments to reporters short. then, late this afternoon, an apparent blast was heard at the bunker site. >> within the past 24 hours, negotiations deteriorated. and mr. dykes was observed -- was observed holding a gun. at this point, fbi agents fearing the child was in imminent danger, entered the bunker and rescued the child. the child appears physically unharmed and is being treated at a local hospital. >> reporter: not much is known ab

dykes. he said during a news conference that he wants to thank mr. dykes to deliver medication and color books and potato chips. he thanks mr. dykes for taking care of our boy. communication on the other side, outside of that bunker. we're told that the parent of this 5-year-old boy, ethan, are getting updates around the clock every hour on the hour, randi. >> how is the community holding up? certainly you can imagine when the media descends there, they can't enjoy being on national tv all the time, certainly over a case like this. >> well, i can tell you, we haven't met that yet. they want this story to get out. someone here in town has set up a twitter handle and they are soliciting prayers and well wishes for ethan and his family. there's actually a woman here in town, michelle riley, who is starting to make ribbons. they're black, blue and red. black to symbolize the mourning for the bus driver who was killed. blue and red for the school colors here. the mother of this 5-year-old came to her home to pick up some of those ribbons. she said that th

and this is not dykes first brush with the law.arged with improper exhibition of a firearm in 1995, and in 2005, arrested for illegal possession of marijuana. so not his first brush with the law, and we're all waiting to see what happens here tonight. or this morning rather. >> george, we have one concern. we understand temperatures are dipping into the low 30s. are they concerned about conditions inside that bunker? >> right. right now right around 40 degrees, has been much colder, as you mentioned, 30 degrees not out of the average, not out of the normal. so it has gotten very cold. it's unclear how sophisticated this bunker is. is there electricity? is there heat? these are questions still unknown. some speculation that there may be electricity in that bunker. no way for us to know at this point. so at this point, investigators are doing their best to monitor the situation and stay in touch with dykes, hopefully to get him out. >> good gracious. we're really feeling for the parents of that little boy. george howell, thank you ve

in. >> reporter: davis says his relationship with dykes quickly deteriorated, though.dykes fired a pistol at him and his family while they were in her pickup truck. the two men were due in court wednesday, where dykes was to face a charge of menacing. but since allegedly kidnapping a child and killing a man, dykes is now in much deeper, hiding out underground. george howell, midland city, alabama. >> there is always a party in new orleans. with the super bowl in town and mardi gras coming up, the city is alive tonight. we're going to take you there next. >>> the super bowl down in new orleans marks the end of a great nfl career for baltimore linebacker ray lewis. the ravens chose him in the first round in 1996. now he is hoping to head into retirement with a super bowl victory. our rachel nichols has more from outside the superdome. >> reporter: ray lewis one way or the other, win or lose he said he is walking away from the game. and really, an interesting moment. because over his 17-year career hee has not only become for fans a presence. he is used to being a premier

the neighbor says that somehow he damaged dykes road and dykes fired shots at him. that was supposed to be on wednesday. but we know that by wednesday, dykes and this kindergartner had already been in this bunker for some time. and actually, i want to show you the bunker, the lay of the land. this is an animation based on a description from a neighbor. you see this white trailer, that's where we're told jimmy lee dykes lives. next to it, a red container used for storage. up in the corner, this is the bunker. we're told it is about 15 by 15, ten to 12 feet high with cinder block steps along the side. and bricks lining the walls. there is no mortar because this thick red alabama clay keeps everything together. and because he was a survivalist, we do not know how long he could stay in this bunker. we're told, the good news here, there is no reason to believe that this boy has been harmed. now, you ask about the relationship between dykes and this victim, charles poland. we're told that, again, it comes down to the road and the bus, and the bus ended its route every day

fbi said negotiations with dykes deteriorated within the last 24 hours and that dykes was observed holding a gun. >> at this point, fbi agents fearing the child was in imminent danger, entered the bunker and rescued the child. >> reporter: nbc news has learned a diversionary device was used and that the hostage rescue team entered in a door at the top of the bunker. >> by grace of god, he's okay. that was the mission of every man and woman on this compound. >> reporter: the horrific ordeal now over for the 5-year-old. his parents and his community. kurt gregory, nbc news. >> well, nbc news has obtained a confidential justice department memo that contains the legal justification for drone strikes on american citizens. the document from the justice department says the government can order the killing of americans if they are believed to be senior operational leaders of al qaeda or an associated force. that applies even if there's no intelligence indicating that the americans are engaged in an active plot to attack the u.s. this document makes the case for drone strikes like the september 201