Connecticut man in plea deal for carrying assault weapon on campus

By Richard Weizel MILFORD Conn. (Reuters) - A former University of New Haven student pleaded guilty on Friday to charges stemming from an incident that triggered fears of another Connecticut school massacre in the style of the 2012 Sandy Hook shootings. William Dong, 23, of Fairfield, Connecticut, will serve at least two years in prison under a plea deal, authorities said. He was arrested on Dec. 17 on charges of bringing two handguns and a banned assault rifle to the New Haven school, prompting a massive police response and campus-wide lockdown. Dong pleaded guilty to one felony count, related to the assault rifle, and two other two felony counts for illegal possession of a handgun, according to a Superior Court clerk in Milford. Superior Court Judge Frank Iannotti will sentence Dong on Dec. 19 under strict new gun laws approved in Connecticut in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shooting. In one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history, a 20-year-old Newtown man in December 2012 shot to death 20 first-graders and six adults at the elementary school in his hometown before turning a gun on himself. Dong was carrying a Bushmaster AR-15, the same assault weapon that Adam Lanza, the Newtown shooter, used at Sandy Hook. After Dong's arrest, police found news clippings about recent mass shootings, including the 2012 Aurora, Colorado theater massacre, among his personal belongings. Under the deal, Dong will serve a “mandatory minimum” of two years out of an eight-year prison sentence, and five years probation. Dong remains in custody in lieu of a $500,000 bond, the court clerk said.“Today’s guilty plea brings an end to a potential tragedy that was prevented due to Connecticut’s new gun safety laws," Governor Dannel Malloy said in a statement. "Given the circumstances, we believe this is a fair resolution for both my client and the state," said Fred Paoletti, a Bridgeport attorney who represented Dong. (Editing By Frank McGurty and Tom Brown)