Shooter’s taped statements may be barred

SEATTLE – Much of a taped statement by Naveed Haq, accused in a shooting rampage at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, will be inadmissible at his trial because detectives ignored his requests for a lawyer, a prosecutor said.

Senior King County Deputy Prosecutor Don Raz acknowledged during a hearing Monday that nearly two-thirds of the 55-minute interview was obtained in violation of Haq’s constitutional right to counsel.

Haq, 32, is charged with a host of crimes for storming into the Jewish charity in July 2006, killing one woman and injuring five others. He railed against the Iraq war and Israel during the rampage. He has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

Superior Court Judge Paris Kallas is considering whether to bar from trial the videotaped interview and possibly other evidence that arose from it, such as gun receipts and evidence of Haq’s Internet research into Jewish organizations.

It’s unclear what effect that would have on the trial, scheduled to start April 14. The victims have identified Haq as the shooter, and he was arrested outside the building.

The interview was played in court Monday. Haq asked for a lawyer six times; under state and federal law, police must stop questioning a suspect immediately if the suspect requests a lawyer.

But prosecutors also say police had good reason to keep questioning the man: They didn’t know whether there were others involved, whether his parents had been hurt, or whether he had planted explosives. Police would have been able to obtain receipts and information about Haq’s Internet searches even if he hadn’t cooperated, they said.

Among the statements prosecutors apparently won’t be able to use is Haq’s admission that he had taken his bipolar medication the morning of the shootings before he drove to Seattle from his home in the Tri-Cities area. That he had taken his medicine could dent his insanity defense.

During the interview, shortly after his arrest, Haq told detectives he has bipolar disorder, isn’t usually a bad guy and stopped his shooting rampage when he noticed his potential victims were all women.