As recently revealed by Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo during a press conference, investigators have still found no motive for Stephen Paddock’s meticulously planned Las Vegas massacre that killed 58 people and injured over 800 more. Lombardo revealed that Paddock’s girlfriend, Marilou Danley, had been a person of interest but would not be charged. The sheriff also alluded to a second person of interest, whose identity was subsequently unearthed after a judge ordered the investigation’s records to be unsealed, and the press has now descended upon Douglas Haig, who is talking.
Authorities haven’t revealed whether Haig is still a person of interest in the investigation, but he told CBS News that he ran a home-gun business (which he has since shuttered) and sold 720 rounds of ammo to Paddock. Haig insists that he didn’t personally know Paddock, but authorities came to him the day after the massacre. Haig reveals that he’s disturbed by his inability to recognize something was amiss with Paddock. “I’m still racking my brain for … what did I miss?” he wondered aloud. “Why didn’t I pick this up?” He continued:
“I couldn’t detect anything wrong with this guy. He told me exactly what he wanted. I handed him a box with the ammunition in it, and he paid me and he left … 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.”
Haig further insisted that there was no conspiratorial link between himself and Paddock (they spoke on three occasions), and that if one existed, then investigators would have found it already. Haig also spoke with Newsweek to call Paddock a “wacko” and express fears over how his family and livelihood might be impacted by the investigation. He added, “If I had anything that would help further this or shed light or help explain” Paddock’s actions, he would be happy to talk. His discomfort appears palpable, and although there was nothing illegal about the ammo sale he made to Paddock, it’s still unsettling that a 720-round purchase raised no eyebrows at the time. Yet much larger ammo sales are possible online, so clearly, there are no easy answers here.
(Via LA Times, CBS News, Newsweek & The Guardian)