Alabama hostage stand-off ends with death of gunman A hostage stand-off in Alabama has ended with the safe return of a five-year-old boy who had been taken captive and held underground in a bunker for nearly a week. The gunman, Jimmy Lee Dykes, has died, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Mr Dykes, a man who had fought in Vietnam and appeared to harbour a deep distrust of government and a grudge against every neighbour, is believed to have spent several months digging the bunker in his yard Steve Richardson, the FBI special agent in charge of the operation in Midland City, said negotiations with Mr Dykes had deteriorated in the past day. Stormed the bunker ... Armed law enforcement personnel station themselves near the property of Jimmy Lee Sykes. Photo: Joe Songer/AP/AL.com He said Mr Dykes was observed holding a gun, and the FBI feared "the child was in imminent danger." At 3.12pm local time on Monday, FBI agents entered the bunker and rescued the child named Ethan, who was due to celebrate his sixth birthday on Wednesday. Those at the scene reported hearing two loud bangs, possibly an explosion and gun shot, before an ambulance was seen leaving the area. Law enforcement officials at the property of Jimmy Lee Sykes. "The subject [Mr Dykes] is deceased," Mr Richardson said, although he did not provide details about how Mr Dykes died. It was unclear whether he was shot by agents who stormed into the bunker. Mr Richardson said Ethan appeared physically unharmed, and was being treated at a local hospital. Mr Dykes, a Vietnam veteran and retired trucker, fatally shot bus driver Charles Albert Poland, 66, as he tried to protect the more than 20 children on his bus during their ride home from school on Tuesday last week. Killed ... Jimmy Lee Dykes. Photo: Alabama Department of Public Safety/AFP Mr Dykes took one boy hostage, and kept him for seven days in a small homemade bunker, believed to measure about 1.8 metres by 2.4 metres. Authorities had identified the boy only as Ethan, who suffers from Asperger's Syndrome and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder. Mr Dykes, a man who had fought in Vietnam and appeared to harbour a deep distrust of government and a grudge against every neighbour, is believed to have spent several months digging the bunker in his yard. Neighbours said he had been known to stay in his well-equipped bunker for up to eight days. The bunker was well supplied with food to last for weeks and, apparently, a television and lights. Mr Dykes is not believed to have any connection with Ethan, who he snatched off a bus after shooting and killing the bus driver as he drove children home from school. The bus stopped and Mr Dykes jumped on - according to police reports based on interviews with children who were on the bus - and then demanded two boys between the ages of six and eight. Mr Poland, the driver, held Mr Dykes at the front of the bus while children escaped out the back. With the driver down, Mr Dykes grabbed two children, the police said. During the hostage drama, Mr Dykes reportedly allowed authorities to deliver medication, colouring books and toys to the boy, with law enforcement officials believed to be communicating with him through a PVC pipe leading into the bunker. According to neighbours, Mr Dykes was notoriously reclusive and moved to the Midland City area about two years ago. He was often seen patrolling the property, where he lived in a trailer, with a gun and flashlight at night. Neighbours said he had once beaten a dog to death with a lead pipe, and threatened to shoot children for setting foot on his property. He had been due for a bench trial last Wednesday after his recent arrest on a menacing charge involving one of his neighbors. Mr Dykes is believed to have grown up in the area and joined the Navy in Midland City, serving on active duty from 1964 to 1969. Throughout the hostage situation, residents watched as their tiny town of Midland City - where the National Peanut Festival in nearby Dothan is usually the biggest event of the year - was constantly shown on national television. Wires and Megan Levy