Witness says Haq's actions were deliberate

Naveed Haq planned his shooting rampage at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle and even adapted his actions to overcome anything that might get in his way, according to the final witness in his trial.

Psychologist Robert Wheeler told jurors that Haq lied to his mental-health counselor when asked if he had access to guns and, on his way to Seattle, stopped to test-fire the weapons to learn which was easier to shoot with one hand.

And when he encountered a locked door at the Jewish Federation, he simply waited for someone he could force to let him inside.

Looking at what Haq has said about that July 2006 day, "it becomes clear that he did know what he was doing at the time," Wheeler told the King County Superior Court jury.

Haq's trial will wrap up Thursday with closing arguments. Jurors must decide whether he is guilty of 15 criminal charges that would send him to prison for life or was insane and should be sent to a state mental hospital.

Prosecutors brought in Wheeler to rebut a psychiatrist's earlier testimony that Haq was both psychotic and manic when he opened fire inside the Seattle office building, killing one woman and seriously wounding five.

The psychiatrist, James Missett, told jurors that Haq reported believing he'd been sent on a mission, that God approved of his actions, and that someone else had control of his trigger finger.

Haq has since explained in psychiatric interviews that a vague idea just popped into his head: "It was like, 'Naveed, you have to do a mission.' It just took control of me."

He has also said he didn't intend to shoot the gun at one point and "tried my best, but the finger just kept going, you know?" according to trial testimony.

Wheeler, however, noted that Haq didn't appear to mention God's involvement or his inability to keep himself from firing until more than a year and a half after the shooting.

The psychologist said it appeared "Mr. Haq is searching for an explanation in his own mind to explain his conduct."

He said much of Haq's behavior that day showed that his actions were purposeful and goal-oriented, with nothing to indicate that he was having a manic episode at the time.

Also on Wednesday, Judge Paris Kallas denied defense attorneys' request to find Haq not guilty by reason of insanity, which would have taken the decision out of the hands of jurors.

She said the evidence suggested that Haq, despite his long history of mental illness, was able to perceive what he was doing and tell right from wrong at the time of the crime.

Jurors will likely begin efforts on Friday to reach their own decision.