see this morning. he remained in the bunker since tuesday afternoon the hands of a suspected murderer. he s getting comfort food such as potato chips, toys, cheese-its, coloring books, medications and his favorite cars. the line of communication is open through the pvc pipes. the sense of community is trying to get back to normal. nothing like normal for this little boy right now. reporter: we see some efforts of normalcy. some schools are back in session. but a number of schools remain closed. the neighborhood behind me with two dozen homes remains evacuated and the community continues to mourn charles
day. good morning to you. i m jon scott. jenna: what a story. good morning everybody, i m jenna lee. drones are now flying over that underground bunker where police say jimmy lee dykes is holding a 5-year-old boy hostage. the boy has asperger s syndrome and is said to be as comfortable as possible. it all began when the suspect allegedly boarded a school bus, demanding hostages. police say he shot the driver when the driver tried to intervene. that driver, charles poland, was laid to rest this weekend. investigators say besides careful negotiations, dykes is showing very few signs that he is willing to end the standoff. elizabeth prann is live in midland, alabama, where she has been since the story first broke. what do we expect to hear from law enforcement today? reporter: well, we re about an hour away from a scheduled press briefing where we hope to learn more information about the suspect. all eyes are on jimmy lee dykes.
wounding mr. poland and one of the children was taken hostage. that child being that 5-year-old brought to a backyard bunker in the backyard of this suspect jimmy lee dykes, a 65-year-old who neighbors describe as very territorial someone who would become violent if neighbors or even a dog would venture anywhere close to his property. neighbors saying he harbored very strong anti government views. through out the standoff that ensued authorities kept a long line of communication with the suspect 24-hours a day through a pvc pipe that was providing ventilation from the surface down into under ground bunker. authorities releasing very few details about the discussions. the sheriff only saying a little bit earlier today that mr. dyke
it and demanded two children. he blocked him from reaching those little ones when he was shot several times. the local sheriff kept his remarks focused on poland. today is going to be a sad day for our family. please give them the peace to be able to do what they need to do in their time of mourning. we are live in midland city alabama. so much heartache in that community tonight. indeed. this bus driver was so well loved by people who knew him and strangers have grown to respect him because of his heroics on that school bus on tuesday. by all accounts charles poland loves his job and passengers. on hot days he provided cold water. on holidays he provided gifts and last tuesday he gave his life to protect the students who road his bus. he put his life before his kids that were on the bus, i
there is shot what is happening on sunday. we re showing our viewers now. what about the community overall? are schools back in session? are people trying to get back to their daily life? reporter: well, there is certainly an effort of a sense of normalcy. there are some schools that are back today but some dale county schools, including that elementary school, does remain closed where the little boy attended. the neighborhood behind me where dozens of families live, they can t get back into their homes. the community is continuing to mourn charles poland. he is a man who gave his life protecting these young children. family and friends called him chuck. we attended his very emotional funeral service yesterday. there was a school bus procession followed by a patriot guard procession. i spoke to an elderly couple who lived near poland after he married his wife decades ago. they say his heroic acts on the bus truly exemplify the character. when the man approached him he opened the ba