An Arizona man who sold hundreds of rounds of ammunition to the gunman who killed 58 people in Las Vegas last year was charged Friday with manufacturing armor-piercing bullets in violation of federal law.
Although it is not clear whether his bullets were used in the Oct. 1, 2017, attack, Doug Haig was charged in federal court because he didn’t have a license to manufacture that type of ammunition, CNN reports.
Haig was charged shortly before holding a news conference Friday, saying that he couldn’t “detect anything wrong” with Stephen Paddock when he sold him 720 rounds of ammo.
“I couldn’t detect anything wrong with this guy,” Haig said. “He told me exactly what he wanted. I handed him a box with the ammunition in it, and he paid me and he left.”
CBS News reports that Haig, 55, said he met Paddock at a Phoenix gun show in the weeks before the shooting. The aerospace engineer reportedly sold ammunition as a “hobby” for about 25 years.
He has reportedly closed his business.
Court documents reveal that Haig sold Paddock “tracer bullets,” which contain a pyrotechnic charge that illuminates the path of fired bullets so that shooters can see whether their aim is correct.
Unsurprisingly, Haig takes no responsibility for his part in the attack, which is being called the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
“I had no contribution to what Paddock did,” Haig said, adding, “I had no way to see into his mind.”
Paddock allegedly told Haig that “he was going to go out to the desert to put on a light show, either with or for his friends. I can’t remember whether he used the word ‘with’ or ‘for.’ But he said that he was going out at night to shoot it with friends.”
Haig said that he has received unwanted media attention and death threats since his name was mistakenly released (it was not redacted) in court documents.
He was released on his own recognizance and is due back in court Feb. 15 for a preliminary hearing. Haig faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.