Gunman at Day-Care Center Frees Most of Its Children

AUSTIN, Texas — An armed man who had taken children hostage at a day-care center near Dallas released most of them late Wednesday night after police urged him to let the children go.

It was unclear how many children and adults remained inside the Rigsbee Child Development Center in Plano after the man, identified as James Lipscomb, 33, allowed the release.

Lipscomb, who police said was acting in a “reasonable” manner, is married to one of the center’s employees, and among his remaining hostages Wednesday night were his own two children, witnesses told reporters, adding that Lipscomb and his wife had been having domestic problems.

Police said Lipscomb rushed into the day-care center Wednesday afternoon, after first robbing a customer outside a neighboring bank. About 3 p.m. CST, police responded to a call from the day-care center and found the gunman in the doorway.

“It is ongoing and it is very serious,” a Plano police spokeswoman said Wednesday night.

Plano Police Chief Bruce Glasscock said 60 children and six adults had been released during the standoff. Among them was a 9-year-old girl who was later interviewed on WFAA-TV. “It had something to do with his wife,” the girl said of Lipscomb’s action. “He seemed upset at her.”

Worried parents stood nervously at the edges of the police barricade Wednesday night as police set up a private telephone line to communicate with Lipscomb.

Authorities offered no indication of what the man’s demands might be.