In the early days of the investigation into the Las Vegas mass shooting, two people were named as persons of interest in the case, according to newly released police search warrants.
One was deceased shooter Stephen Paddock’s girlfriend, Marilou Danley, who has since been publicly cleared in the case. The name of the other was redacted in hundreds of pages of documents released Tuesday to the media.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal has identified that individual as Douglas Haig. Haig did not respond to phone calls Tuesday evening, but he told Newsweek that he was interviewed by agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives shortly after the October 1 Las Vegas shooting, but he had nothing to do with the crime.
“I’ve been interviewed, and that’s as far as it went. They were following up on a lead, and obviously it went nowhere,” he told Newsweek.
While it’s unclear why Haig was named a person of interest, the Journal reported that he spoke to reporters Tuesday outside his home in Mesa, Arizona. He told them he’s “the guy that sold ammunition to Stephen Paddock,” the paper reported.
Douglas Haig is the name of a business associate on a website called Specialized Military Ammunition. The website describes itself as “your source for premium, MILSPEC, tracer and incendiary ammunition in popular military calibers,” including ammunition that “ignites diesel and kerosene.”
The website has an undated message that says it will be closed indefinitely.
While Danley and Haig were named by law enforcement as persons of interest in search warrant affidavits, neither have been charged with a crime.
Las Vegas police officials told CNN on Tuesday the department cannot comment on Haig or any names. They referred CNN to federal authorities.
Clark County District Court Judge Elissa Cadish ordered the documents released after several journalism outlets, including CNN, sued to obtain the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department search warrants related to the October 1 shooting.
But the judge allowed a small portion of those records to be redacted because “there is an ongoing investigation regarding charges against another individual, arising out of information obtained in connection with the … shooting, but not directly related to the shooting.”
Earlier this month, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Joe Lombardo, in response to a question from CNN, said another person is under investigation, which is being led by federal authorities. That person could be brought up on federal charges — again, not directly related to the shooting — within the next 60 days, the sheriff said January 19.
At the news conference 11 days ago, Lombardo didn’t disclose the person’s name and what charges might be brought because those details were “under federal grand jury disclosure” rules.
In addition to the 58 people Paddock killed, 422 people suffered wounds as a direct result of gunfire, and an additional 851 individuals suffered other injuries in the attack, Lombardo said.
He has repeatedly said Paddock was the only shooter to open fire from the Mandalay Bay hotel onto more than 20,000 people attending a country music festival.
Paddock died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Federal documents connected to the investigation, including hundreds of pages of federal court records and search warrant affidavits, were unsealed earlier this month. They revealed the inner workings of the early stages of the investigation.
