WASHINGTON -- The hostage drama at a North Carolina bank ended Thursday afternoon with the gunman shot, local media said.

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After more than two hours of negotiations, the gunman holding hostages in a bank in the town of Cary left the building with his gun to the head of a woman, local WRAL-TV reported.

As they walked out of the bank, police fired, shooting the gunman, but the woman was not "physically harmed," the television said. It did not say whether the gunman was dead or not.

The report said that law enforcement officers flooded the area, closing roads, restricting traffic and locking down area schools. They also asked residents to remain indoors.

Cary police chief Pat Bazemore said the man initially held four people inside the bank, but he released two women at about 5 pm, two hours after the drama unfolded.

The report said the gunman had not asked for money. His motive remains unknown.