The Latest: Bullet-maker takes plea in Vegas shooting case

LAS VEGAS – 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 armour-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.

Defence 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 armour-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.

Defence attorney Marc Victor maintained that Haig couldn’t get a fair trial before a jury in trauma-scarred Las Vegas.