Conn., rifle maker end aid deal after killings

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Just days before 20 children and six educators were killed at a Connecticut school in December, state development officials offered the maker of the rifle used in the massacre a $1 million loan to bring new jobs to the state.

The offer, capping six months of negotiations between the Department of Economic and Community Development and Freedom Group, was dropped after private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management announced it would sell Freedom Group, manufacturer of the Bushmaster AR-15.

The deal was ended four days after the killings.

The Hartford Courant first reported the deal and its unraveling.

Deputy agency commissioner Ronald Angelo said Wednesday that Cerberus' announcement made the deal untenable. He said the killings also were a factor.

Freedom Group did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.