The Latest: Bullet-maker takes plea in Vegas shooting case
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Latest on an Arizona man’s guilty plea in federal court to illegally manufacturing bullets found in a high-rise hotel suite where a gunman unleashed the Las Vegas Strip massacre two years ago (all times local):
11:20 a.m.
A man whose home-loaded bullets were found in a suite where a gunman unleashed the Las Vegas Strip massacre two years ago has pleaded guilty to a federal charge of illegally manufacturing ammunition.
Douglas Haig admitted Tuesday that he made tracer and armor-piercing bullets at home in Mesa, Arizona, and sold them under a business called Specialized Military Ammunition.
The 57-year-old aerospace engineer wasn’t accused of a direct role in the Oct. 1, 2017, shooting that killed 58 people and injured hundreds at an open-air music festival.
Haig’s plea avoided a trial. He is free pending sentencing Feb. 19. He could get probation or up to about two years in federal prison.
Defense attorney Marc Victor maintained that Haig couldn’t get a fair trial before a jury in trauma-scarred Las Vegas.
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6:10 a.m.
An Arizona man is due to plead guilty to illegally manufacturing tracer and armor-piercing bullets found in a high-rise hotel suite where a gunman took aim before the Las Vegas Strip massacre two years ago.
Douglas Haig isn’t accused of a direct role in the Oct. 1, 2017, shooting that killed 58 people and injured hundreds at an open-air music festival. It was the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
Haig is a 57-year-old aerospace engineer who used to reload bullets at home in Mesa, Arizona, and sell them at gun shows.
His plea expected Tuesday will avoid a trial and mean he can’t possess guns or ammunition.
Defense attorney Marc Victor maintained that Haig couldn’t get a fair trial before a jury in trauma-scarred Las Vegas.