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‘Doomsday Prepper’?: Gunman Who Killed Bus Driver and Took a Boy Hostage In Underground Bunker Is Alleged ‘Survivalist’

Jan. 31, 2013 8:17am Billy Hallowell

TheBlaze’s Jonathon M. Seidl contributed to this report.

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The bizarre story about an Alabama man who shot and killed a bus driver, abducted a child, hunkered down in an underground bunker and sparked a more than 30-hour (and counting) police standoff continues to take intriguing twists and turns. Among them, people close to the investigation claim that the perpetrator is a “survivalist,” an individual who is prepared with an underground location, food and supplies in case of potential catastrophe.

Jimmy Lee Dykes Is Allegedly a Doomsday Prepper | Alabama Bus Driver Shooting

Heavily armed men move away from the suspects home at the scene of a Dale County hostage scene in Midland City, Ala. on Wednesday Jan. 30, 2013. Authorities were locked in a standoff Wednesday with a gunman authorities say on Tuesday intercepted a school bus, killed the driver, snatched a 6-year-old boy and retreated into a bunker at his home in Alabama. Credit: AP

While police haven’t officially named the suspect, neighbors and sources claim that he is 65-year-old Jimmy Lee Dykes, a retired truck driver and Vietnam veteran who purportedly suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). New-found details about his beliefs and alleged outlook on America, the government and impending disaster are now becoming centerpieces in various media accounts of the dangerous situation at hand.

WFSA-TV is just one outlet that reports that Dykes is purportedly a “doomsday prepper.” As of Thursday morning, this factoid was gaining steam, with media outlets providing little background about the movement that the suspect is being attached to. In addition to claiming that the accused is a potential survivalist, WFSA also reports that the underground bunker he built – the location he is suspected of keeping the child in — is stocked with food and other essentials.

In addition, some are claiming that Dykes holds anti-American views. However there do not seem to be corroborations or definitive assessments surrounding what, exactly, this means. CNN, among other outlets, has cited Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a liberal group that monitors extremism in America. Potok claims that Dykes has been described as being ”very much standoffish and very much a loner,” but that any attachment to anti-government groups is currently unknown.

In his CNN appearance, the SPLC staffer touched upon preppers, claiming that, ”survivalism has been associated with the far right in this country for many years.” That said, Potok refrained from making sweeping generalizations about the movement being tied to any sort of violence or criminal activity.

“Certainly most preppers are not going to kill anyone or [conduct] any criminal violence,” he told host Anderson Cooper.

Watch Potok discuss survivalism and the suspect’s potential beliefs, below:

This isn’t the first time the “prepper” movement has been included in a tragedy. After the Newtown massacre, many were quick to point out that the mother of gunman Adam Lanza was focused on being prepared.

“It’s just brutal right now,” Phil Burns, co-founder of the American Preppers Network, told TheBlaze in an exclusive interview at the time. “I have a community to look out for and to protect. This is my passion and I don’t like seeing it demonized.”

“Preppers’ are being used as a scapegoat right now,” he added.

As he explained at the time, “preppers” can be a misleading term since there are really three categories: survivalists, doomsday preppers and conspiratorial preppers.

As for the incident itself, neighbor Mike Creel spoke with students on the bus and painted a shocking picture of the scenario that began earlier this week. Dykes allegedly boarded a school bus and killed the driver, managing to leave with one child who had fainted during the incident. Creel says the suspect then “retreated back onto his land” and hid himself — and the child — in “his homemade bomb shelter.” According to the neighbor, the bunker was one of the first things that Dyke started building two years ago when he moved onto the land.

Since Tuesday, the unnamed, 6-year-old child has been underground with the alleged captor. While the situation is still being described as “static,” the young boy is said to be okay. Authorities were reportedly able to get essential medication to him (New York Magazine reports that the medications he takes are for ADHD and Asperger’s syndrome).

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Related:

Man Shoots, Kills School Bus Driver and Flees With 6-Year-Old Child — Hours-Long Police Standoff Continues

In CONTROL, Glenn Beck presents a passionate, fact-based case for guns that reveals why gun control isn’t really about controlling guns at all; it’s about controlling us. Find out more HERE.

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Comments (140)

floridaborn
Posted on February 1, 2013 at 2:01pm
I live in Florida and get ready every year for hurricane season. Summers are also bad down here due to the possibility of severe thunderstorms with high winds and rain. Guess I have always been a “doomsday prepper” without even realizing it.

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charleyrocks
Posted on February 1, 2013 at 3:37am
What they need to do is to have everyone leave the area and let this idiot know they are leaving, have some camera;s set up in the trees, and a couple of sharp shooters. This guy will come out sooner or later on his own then nail him. If everyone stays he will not come out and god knows what will happen to this boy. There is too much attention being paid to this incident and it might end up like Waco leave leave leave it’s the only chance for this little boy to be rescued

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PatriotNC1
Posted on February 1, 2013 at 2:58am
I get real tired of the media maligning “survivalists”. First of all, these “Doomsday Preppers” are not survivalists. I’ve been a survivalist for over 28 years. Our objective is to learn frontier and modern survival techniques so that we can be self-reliant, and not have to rely upon others in emergencies. Real survivalists are not anarchists, or out to hurt anyone. Generally, we just want to be left alone. The media labels anyone who runs backwoods from a crime they’ve committed, a “survivalist”. Perhaps the media needs to interview a REAL survivalist, and maybe they’d have a better idea of what one is, before portraying us as a bunch of nuts with guns. National Geographic purposely filmed a bunch of lunatics who like to “bunker up” in order to make them look foolish. And somehow, survivalists have been lumped in with them. We are not one in the same. Speaking for me, and those in the survivalist world, we resent it.

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joehanx2
Posted on January 31, 2013 at 3:49pm
doesn`t anyone have a parabolic dish to get info. where are kids parents, where are other parents of kids on bus, is there military records on suspect, fb accnt, twitter,use what you can to get some kind of info.

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Ghandi was a Republican
Posted on January 31, 2013 at 3:31pm
Believe nothing in these alinsky orchestrated times. You have stolen election and a resultant enflamed society not unlike the end times as of late. This is “foot on the gas” alinsky time. Evil is all around and the White house is lock step with it all. The WH will point every which way as their usuall distraction to their deeds. It has been this way for 5 years, this is no different. All orchestrated. There is nothing Natural about the last 5 years, Not a thing.

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sinner-saint
Posted on January 31, 2013 at 3:24pm
What a show…….just gas them with anesethic gas through the pvc pipe and put them to sleep. The gas will knock them out pretty fast and he won’t have time to react to it. Then go in and get them both out. Stop wasting everyone’s time and making a big show of this situation.

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- DZ-015
  Posted on January 31, 2013 at 3:33pm
  Bet he’s got a gas mask, or at least has claimed to have one. BTW, have the child’s parents been identified yet?
  
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docvet
Posted on January 31, 2013 at 2:49pm
Regardless of what he has done, his response to being summoned to court to answer for taking shots at neighbors who got too close to his property was to feel the need to take a child as a hostage. That is not the response of a sane person. Enough said.

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Sapience
Posted on January 31, 2013 at 2:35pm
If I were the boys father, I’d go switch places with my son. Or, at least go keep him company.

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katzkiner
Posted on January 31, 2013 at 2:31pm
He is in prison in his bunker, if he gives up the child the Feds will provide him a place finish his days. Doesn’t the bastard have a sliver of a heart? Why are all these dead enders wanting to kill others lately. My guess is he is going to blow the bunker. Wonder if the Russians can spare some knock out gas?

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Dagnabbit5
Posted on January 31, 2013 at 2:29pm
Ever notice how you hardly ever see a big news story done on the big networks on the murders in Chicago? I mean this is sad and all but a 2 year old was beat to death on the 23rd. Didn’t see a peep on the news.

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thegreatcarnac
Posted on January 31, 2013 at 2:17pm
I hope that this nut doesn’t hurt this boy and the boy comes out safe and sound. I want every cop they can get in that area to help that kid. I, however, am disturbed at all of the military in the area. I thought we had a posse-comitatus law in effect. In every scenario you see, the military shows up. I don’t like it. This close working relationship between the police and the military on domestic matters only furthers the militarization of America. We are being militarized. Stop it.

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