Las Vegas gunman’s ominous comment before massacre

THE Las Vegas shooter made an ominous statement to an ammunition seller just weeks before he carried out his bloody massacre.

Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock opened fire on the Route 91 Harvest Festival on October 1, killing dozens and wounding hundreds. Picture: Eric Paddock via AP

THE Las Vegas gunman told the man he bought ammunition from weeks before the massacre that he planned to put on a “light show”.

Police identified Arizona man Douglas Haig as a person of interest in the October 1 shooting that killed 58 and injured hundreds more, according to newly released court documents.

“I am the guy who sold ammunition to Stephen Paddock,” he told the Associated Press on Tuesday after his name was published.

Douglas Haig sold Stephen Paddock ammunition weeks before the Las Vegas massacre. Picture: CBS

Mr Haig has admitted to selling Mr Paddock 720 rounds of tracer ammunition — bullets that leave a visible trail after being fired — from his home business, Specialized Military Ammunition.

However, he has denied having any knowledge of what the gunman was planning.

“He told me exactly what he wanted. I handed him a box with the ammunition in it and he paid me and he left,” Mr Haig told CBS This Morning in an interview aired in the US on Wednesday.

What police found inside Stephen Paddock’s Mandalay Bay hotel room. Picture: Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department via AP

“He said he was going to go put on a light show and I can’t remember whether he said ‘for’ or ‘with’ his friends, but that’s what he did say.”

Mr Haig said he felt “horrible” when he realised what his customer had done and he shut his business down within weeks of the shooting. Specialized Military Ammunition’s website says it is “closed indefinitely”.

“I couldn’t detect anything wrong with this guy,” he said.

“I’m still racking my brain for what did I miss. Why didn’t I pick this up?”

Stephen Paddock stashed a cache of weapons inside the hotel room. Picture: Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department via AP

Investigators were led to Mr Haig soon after the massacre when they discovered an Amazon box bearing his home address inside Mr Paddock’s Mandalay Bay hotel room, from which he fired a hail of bullets at an outdoor country music festival.

In court documents to apply for search warrants nine days after the shooting, Las Vegas police said Mr Haig “may have conspired with Stephen Paddock to commit murder with a deadly weapon”, but Mr Haig has denied the allegation.

“I felt that they were hoping that they could find a connection between myself and Paddock that would go back showing that I supplied him with most of his ammunition, possibly even some firearms,” he told CBS This Morning.

“They’re not going to find it. I talked to the guy three times.”

Rifles were found strewn throughout the suite. Picture: Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department via AP

Neither the police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation nor the US attorney’s office have commented on whether Mr Haig is still considered a person of interest in the investigation, however Las Vegas sheriff Joe Lombardo said earlier this month that investigators believed Mr Paddock had acted alone. The gunman killed himself as officers stormed his hotel room after the shooting.

Mr Haig’s name was redacted from the 270 pages of court documents but was accidentally left on one page provided to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, which first published his name online.

Mr Paddock’s girlfriend, Australian citizen Marilou Danley, was also named as a person of interest in the court documents, but authorities say they are not planning to lay any charges against her.

Stephen Paddock’s girlfriend, Marilou Danley, was initially named as a person of interest in the investigation, but police have indicated they do not think she was involved. Picture: AFP/Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department

The papers show that investigators found 23 rifles and a handgun in Mr Paddock’s 32nd-floor hotel suite and an adjoining room.

Police also found five suitcases, five rifle cases, binoculars, a spotter scope, a portable solar generator, 1050 empty bullet casings and $273 in cash.

Investigators are yet to explain why they believe the 64-year-old retired accountant carried out the massacre, which was the worst in US history.

The view from Stephen Paddock’s hotel room. Picture: Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department via AP

Authorities have previously characterised Mr Paddock as a gambler on a losing streak who was obsessed with cleanliness, may have been bipolar and was having difficulties with Ms Danley.

Mr Haig says he will hold a press conference on Friday to answer questions about his name surfacing in the investigation.

— with AP