(Reuters) - An ammunition dealer who has acknowledged selling hundreds of rounds of tracer bullets to a gunman responsible for killing 58 people in Las Vegas was charged on Friday with conspiracy to make and sell armor-piercing ammunition without a license.

Douglas Haig, 55, of the Phoenix suburb of Mesa, Arizona, became the first person arrested and charged in connection with the Oct. 1 massacre, which ended when the perpetrator, Stephen Paddock, killed himself.

But Haig told a news conference at the office of his attorney on Friday that none of the surplus military ammunition he sold Paddock in September was ever fired during the killing spree, which ranks as the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Nearly 500 people were injured.

Haig said he had no inkling of any criminal intent by Paddock. The ammunition dealer said Paddock told him, when asked, that he planned to use the tracer bullets to “put on a light show either with, or for, his friends” in the desert.

Paddock strafed a crowd of outdoor concert-goers with rapid-fire gunshots from his high-rise suite at the Mandalay Bay hotel before police stormed his room to find the 64-year-old retiree dead. No motive for the massacre has ever been established.

Haig said he was certain the gunman never used any of the 720 rounds of magnesium-packed tracer bullets Paddock had purchased from him.

“You would have seen red streaks coming from the window. And there weren’t red steaks coming from the window,” he said.

His lawyer, Marc Victor, suggested the casualty toll would have been lower had the tracer rounds been used, because victims would have seen the trajectory of gunfire in the dark and been able to take cover more easily.

“It’s probably a bad thing that the ammunition Doug sold was not used,” Victor said.

Haig also said there was nothing suspicious in Paddock’s demeanor when he visited Haig’s home to make the purchase.

“He was very well dressed, very well groomed, very polite, very respectful - told me what he wanted, I gathered it up, put it in a box, told him what he owed me. He paid me, put it in his car and drove away,” Haig recounted.

Victor called it “a routine transaction to purchase a routine type of ammunition that is available in many different retail outlets throughout the sate of Arizona.” Victor said the two men had no further contact.

Victor said Haig got into the ammunition re-sale business in 1991 as a hobby, and has always been a “law-abiding citizen.”

Haig was charged with a single count of conspiracy to manufacture and sell armor-piercing ammunition, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to the statement.

The criminal complaint, filed in a U.S. District court in Phoenix, said Haig previously had run an internet business selling armor-piercing bullets - including high-explosive and incendiary rounds - throughout the United States.

It said some merchandise sold through that business consisted of cartridges that had been “reloaded,” or assembled from component parts, though Haig lacked a license to make such ammunition for sale.

FILE PHOTO: The "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign is surrounded by flowers and items, left after the October 1 mass shooting, in Las Vegas, Nevada U.S. October 9, 2017. REUTERS/Las Vegas Sun/Steve Marcus

According to the complaint, Haig insisted to investigators that while he reloads ammunition cartridges for himself, he never offered them to paying customers and that none reloaded by him would turn up at the crime scene in Las Vegas.

However, prosecutors said Haig’s fingerprints were found on some of the unfired rounds in Paddock’s hotel suite and that armor-piercing cartridges recovered there bore tool marks matching the reloading equipment in Haig’s workshop.

Haig made an initial court appearance before a federal magistrate in Phoenix and was freed on his own recognizance under conditional release pending a Feb. 15 status conference set for the case, prosecutors said.</s>The Arizona man who sold 720 rounds of tracer ammunition to Las Vegas massacre gunman Stephen Paddock was charged with manufacturing armor-piercing bullets Friday.

The unfired bullets were recovered from Paddock’s Mandalay Bay hotel room.

Fingerprints linked the bullets to Haig, who was not licensed to manufacture armor-piercing ammunition, according to a complaint filed Friday in federal court in Phoenix.

Haig was charged just before he held a news conference Friday.

He told reporters that his customer was well dressed, polite, and didn’t raise any suspicions.

Read more at the NY Daily News</s>iStock/Thinkstock(LAS VEGAS) — A man has been charged with conspiracy in connection to October’s massacre in Las Vegas for allegedly selling armor-piercing ammunition to shooter Stephen Paddock.

Fifty-eight people were killed and hundreds injured in the shooting.

Douglas Haig, 55, has been charged with conspiracy to manufacture and sell armor-piercing ammunition.

According to the complaint, which was obtained by ABC News, Haig admitted to selling hundreds of rounds of tracer ammo to Paddock in September, which isn’t illegal. However, among the unfired rounds found in Paddock’s hotel room were two cartridges which forensic analysis determined were armor-piercing/incendiary ammo that had Haig’s fingerprints on them, the complaint states. Such ammunition is illegal to manufacture without a license. Haig, according to the complaint, did not have such a license.

A subsequent search warrant at his business located more armor-piercing and incendiary rounds and records of Haig selling them around the country, according to the complaint.

Earlier today, Haig and his attorney, Marc Victor, gave a press conference defending Haig as a “law-abiding citizen” with no history of legal problems.

Haig said he was sickened and horrified when he learned of the massacre.

“I had no contribution to what Paddock did,” he said, adding the amount of ammunition he sold to Paddock was very common. “I had no way to see into his mind.”

“The product I sold him had absolutely nothing to do with what he did,” Haig added, referring to the legal tracer ammunition.

Victor told ABC News Wednesday that Haig only sold tracer rounds to Paddock.

This evening, Haig, in shackles, appeared in federal court with Victor by his side on the single charge listed in the complaint, according to local ABC affiliate KNXV. The judge ordered him to surrender his passport, guns, ammunition, and tools used to manufacture ammunition.

Victor declined to comment to ABC News following the court appearance.

Paddock took his own life after unleashing the hail of gunfire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on October 1. Unsuspecting concertgoers were attending a music festival below.</s>(AP) – Las Vegas police wouldn’t say whether armor-piercing ammunition was fired during the deadliest shooting in modern U.S. history after a dealer who sold it to the gunman was charged with manufacturing such bullets.

 Officer Larry Hadfield on Friday referred to a preliminary report released last month.

 It says some rifle magazines were loaded with various types of bullets, including armor-piercing ammunition and armor-piercing incendiary ammunition.

 The report says a “complete breakdown” of the types of ammunition loaded in the guns and the cartridge casings expended will be documented in the final report. It’s unclear when that report will be available.

 A criminal complaint says Douglas Haig’s fingerprints were found on unfired armor-piercing bullets inside the hotel room where Stephen Paddock launched the attack Oct. 1.

 Federal officials declined or didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

 This item has been corrected to show the preliminary report released last month, not this month.</s>CHANDLER, Ariz. — An Arizona man who sold ammunition to the gunman who carried out the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history was charged Friday with manufacturing armor-piercing bullets, according to court documents.

Unfired armor-piercing bullets found inside the Las Vegas hotel room where Stephen Paddock launched the Oct. 1 attack had the fingerprints of ammunition dealer Douglas Haig, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court in Phoenix. It says Haig didn’t have a license to manufacture armor-piercing ammunition.

Haig has acknowledged selling 720 rounds of tracer ammunition to Paddock in the weeks before the shooting that killed 58 people. Tracer bullets contain a pyrotechnic charge that illuminates the path of fired bullets so shooters can see whether their aim is correct.

The criminal charge involves another type of ammunition — armor-piercing bullets.

The documents don’t say if any ammunition tied to Paddock was used in the attack. Las Vegas police wouldn’t say whether armor-piercing bullets were used in the shooting but referred to a preliminary report saying some rifle magazines were loaded with armor-piercing ammunition.

Haig, a 55-year-old aerospace engineer who sold ammunition as a hobby for about 25 years, was charged 35 minutes before holding a news conference where he said he didn’t notice anything suspicious when he sold the tracer rounds to Paddock.

Haig told investigators that when Paddock bought the ammunition at his home in suburban Phoenix, Paddock went to his car to get gloves and put them on before taking the box from Haig, the complaint said.

“I had no contribution to what Paddock did,” Haig told reporters earlier Friday, adding that there was nothing unusual about the type or quantity of ammunition the shooter bought. “I had no way to see into his mind.”

The two armor-piercing bullets found in Paddock’s hotel room with Haig’s fingerprints had an “incendiary capsule” on their noses, the documents said. A forensic analysis of those two bullets had tool marks consistent with the equipment in Haig’s backyard workshop, according to the complaint.

It also alleges that FBI agents searching Haig’s home on Oct. 19 found armor-piercing ammunition.

The complaint said Haig sold such bullets in more than 100 instances to customers across the United States, including Nevada, Texas, Virginia, Wyoming and South Carolina.

He appeared in court Friday and was released under the condition he not possess guns or ammunition. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison and a fine as high as $250,000.

Haig and his business partner, whose name wasn’t provided, sold 40 to 50 rounds of incendiary rounds to Paddock in late August at a Las Vegas gun show, according to the complaint.

The next month, Haig said he met Paddock at a Phoenix gun show and that he was well-dressed and polite.

He didn’t have the quantity of tracer ammunition on hand that Paddock was seeking, so Paddock contacted him several days later and lined up a sale at Haig’s home.

Haig said he was shocked and sickened when a federal agent informed him of the massacre 11 hours after it unfolded.

Haig’s lawyer said they held the news conference in a bid to protect his reputation after he was revealed earlier this week to be a “person of interest” in the investigation. Haig’s identity emerged by mistake after his name was not redacted in court documents.

A law enforcement official previously told The Associated Press that investigators don’t believe Haig had any involvement or knowledge of the planned attack when he sold ammunition to Paddock. The official wasn’t authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Haig arose in the investigation when a box with his name and address was found in the Mandalay Bay hotel suite where Paddock opened fire on a music festival below.

He gave the box to Paddock to carry the 720 rounds of tracer ammunition from the sale.

Haig said Paddock told him 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, who has closed his ammunition business , said he has received unwanted media attention and death threats since his name was released.

The FBI didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives referred questions to the U.S. attorney’s office in Las Vegas, which declined to comment.</s>The government has charged a Mesa man who sold ammunition to the man who carried out the Las Vegas massacre with conspiracy to manufacture and sell armor-piercing bullets without a license.

In September, 55-year-old Douglas Haig sold more than 700 rounds of ammunition to Las Vegas mass shooter Stephen Paddock after meeting Paddock at a gun show. An engineer with Honeywell, Haig said he sold ammunition as a "hobby."

Haig said he had received death threats after he was revealed as the seller. He said people have pounded on his door to tell him that he deserves to die. "It makes me feel horrible," he said at a news conference Friday morning. "People need to do their research and think rather than just react viscerally.”

Then came the federal charges.

According to the complaint filed in federal court in Phoenix, Haig operated an internet ammunition business called Specialized Military Ammunition. Haig advertised armor-piercing incendiary ammunition on his website, which now says the business is "closed indefinitely."

During an October 19 search of Haig's home in Mesa, agents seized live ammunition that they identified as armor-piercing. While the agents were in his backyard, Haig explained that he uses reloading equipment — tools used to manufacture ammunition from other parts, including previously fired cases.

The agents later matched markings characteristic of Haig's tools to two unfired armor-piercing cartridges found bearing Haig's fingerprints in Paddock's Las Vegas hotel room.

From the complaint: "Significantly, forensic analysis determined that the two unfired armor piercing cartridges from Paddock's Mandalay Bay hotel room (bearing Douglas Haig's fingerprints) had toolmarks consistent with the reloading equipment recovered in Haig's backyard workshop during the October 19, 2017 search."

Haig did not have a license to manufacture these rounds, the complaint states. Individuals and entities as far as Texas, Virginia, Wyoming, and South Carolina purchased Haig's armor-piercing bullets from his website and at gun shows, according to the feds.

When reached via email on Friday afternoon, Haig's attorney Marc J. Victor declined to comment.

At Friday's news conference, Haig denied any involvement with the mass shooting at the Las Vegas outdoor concert aside from selling Paddock the rounds of tracer ammunition, which glow when fired. Haig's attorney said at the news conference that his client's sale of ammunition was legal.

“I had no contribution to what Paddock did,” Haig said. “I had no way to see into his mind. The product that I sold him had absolutely nothing to do with what he did.”

Read the full complaint against Douglas Haig below.</s>CHANDLER, Ariz. (AP) -- The Latest on an Arizona man who sold ammunition to the gunman who carried out the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history (all times local):

Las Vegas police wouldn't say whether armor-piercing ammunition was fired during the deadliest shooting in modern U.S. history after a dealer who sold it to the gunman was charged with manufacturing such bullets.

Officer Larry Hadfield on Friday referred to a preliminary report released this month.

It says some rifle magazines were loaded with various types of bullets, including armor-piercing ammunition and armor-piercing incendiary ammunition.

The report says a "complete breakdown" of the types of ammunition loaded in the guns and the cartridge casings expended will be documented in the final report. It's unclear when that report will be available.

A criminal complaint says Douglas Haig's fingerprints were found on unfired armor-piercing bullets inside the hotel room where Stephen Paddock launched the attack Oct. 1.

Federal officials declined or didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

An Arizona man who sold ammunition to the gunman in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history has been charged with manufacturing armor-piercing bullets.

A complaint says unfired armor-piercing bullets found inside the Las Vegas hotel room where the attack was launched on Oct. 1 contained the fingerprints of ammunition dealer Douglas Haig of Arizona.

The complaint filed Friday in federal court in Phoenix says Haig didn't have a license to manufacture armor-piercing ammunition.

He was charged shortly before holding a news conference Friday. He said he noticed nothing suspicious when he sold 720 rounds of ammunition to Stephen Paddock in the weeks before the attack that killed 58 people.

Haig is a 55-year-old aerospace engineer who sold ammunition as a hobby for about 25 years.

An Arizona man who sold ammunition to the gunman in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history says his one-time customer didn't raise suspicions that he planned to commit any crimes.

Douglas Haig said at a news conference Friday that he met Stephen Paddock at a Phoenix gun show in the weeks before the Oct. 1 shooting in Las Vegas that killed 58 people.

The sale was later completed at Haig's home in the Phoenix suburb of Mesa.

Haig was named as a "person of interest" in the investigation.

But a law enforcement official has since told The Associated Press that he isn't believed to have committed a federal crime or to have had any knowledge of the attack.

The official wasn't authorized to discuss the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.

An Arizona man plans to speak out about his experience in selling ammunition to the gunman in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

Douglas Haig is scheduled to hold a news conference Friday in Chandler to discuss his sale to Stephen Paddock.

This week, Haig said he couldn't detect anything wrong with Paddock.

Haig was named as a "person of interest" in the Oct. 1 shooting in Las Vegas that killed 58 people.

But a law enforcement official has since told The Associated Press that Haig isn't believed to have committed a federal crime or to have had any knowledge of the attack.

The official wasn't authorized to discuss the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.

It's unknown whether the ammunition Haig sold to Paddock was used in the attack.</s>According to the criminal complaint, Haig met with Paddock on more than one occasion. Paddock met Haig at his home in September of 2017 to purchase ammunition. Haig previously operated “Specialized Military Ammunition,” an Internet business selling high explosive armor piercing incendiary ammunition, armor piercing incendiary ammunition, and armor piercing ammunition. Business records reveal that Haig sold armor piercing ammunition throughout the U.S., including Nevada, Texas, Virginia, Wyoming, and South Carolina. Haig did not have a license to manufacture armor piercing ammunition.

During an interview, Haig told investigators that he reloads ammunition, but does not offer reloaded cartridges for sale to his customers and none of the ammunition recovered in Las Vegas crime scenes would have tool marks on them consistent with his reloading equipment. Reloaded ammunition refers to ammunition that is manufactured from component parts, including previously fired cartridge cases. Based on a forensic examination of rounds recovered in the shooter’s hotel rooms, Haig’s fingerprints were found on reloaded, unfired .308 caliber cartridges. Forensic examination also revealed that armor piercing ammunition recovered inside of the shooter’s rooms had tool marks consistent with Haig’s reloading equipment.</s>A man suspected of selling armor-piercing bullets to the Las Vegas gunman who killed 58 people at a music festival has been charged with conspiracy to manufacture and sell such ammunition without a license.

Douglas Haig, 55, of Mesa, Arizona, became the first person arrested and charged in connection with the October 1 massacre, which ranks as the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history.

The gunman, Stephen Paddock, who fired at a crowd of concert-goers from his high-rise suite at the Mandalay Bay hotel, killed himself before police stormed his room.

No clear motive for the massacre has ever been determined.

According to the criminal complaint against Haig, filed in US District Court in Phoenix, he met with Paddock on more than one occasion, including once at Haig's home the month before the shooting to sell ammunition to Paddock, the U.S. attorney's office in Las Vegas said in a statement.

It said Haig previously ran an internet business, called Specialized Military Ammunition, selling armor-piercing bullets - some consisting of high-explosive and incendiary rounds - throughout the United States, but lacked a license to manufacture such ammunition.

Haig is charged with a single count of conspiracy to manufacture and sell armor-piercing ammunition, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to the statement.

Prosecutors said Haig's fingerprints were found on some of the unfired high-caliber rounds at the crime scene and that armor-piercing casings recovered from Paddock's hotel room bore tool marks matching the "reloading" equipment they said Haig used to assemble ammunition cartridges.

Haig made an initial court appearance before a federal magistrate in Phoenix and was freed under conditional release pending a February 15 status conference set for the case, prosecutors said.

In addition to the 58 people killed by Paddock in the Las Vegas massacre, nearly 500 people were injured, some by gunfire, others trampled or otherwise hurt while running for cover.

Police said Paddock had equipped 12 of the weapons found in his room with bump-stock devices that enable semi-automatic rifles to be fired as if they are fully automatic machine guns.</s>MESA, AZ - An Arizona man who sold ammunition to the gunman in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history has been charged with manufacturing armor-piercing bullets.

A complaint says unfired armor-piercing bullets found inside the Las Vegas hotel room where the attack was launched on Oct. 1 contained the fingerprints of ammunition dealer Douglas Haig of Arizona.

The complaint filed Friday in federal court in Phoenix says Haig didn't have a license to manufacture armor-piercing ammunition.

He was charged shortly before holding a news conference Friday. He said he noticed nothing suspicious when he sold 720 rounds of ammunition to Stephen Paddock in the weeks before the attack that killed 58 people.

Haig is a 55-year-old aerospace engineer who sold ammunition as a hobby for about 25 years.
An Arizonan ammunition dealer is charged in a Nevada federal court with "conspiracy to manufacture and sell armor-piercing ammunition without a license" after his fingerprints were discovered on unfired armor-piercing ammunition inside Stephen Paddock's suite.