'Rust' Asst Director said he didn't check all of the rounds before gun was fired
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza told reporters Wednesday that investigators believe a live round was in the gun fired by actor Alec Baldwin in a deadly shooting on the "Rust" movie set last week.
Here are the big takeaways from Wednesday’s news conference:
The Gun
Mendoza said investigators had recovered what they believed to be the gun that killed director of photography Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza.
He added they also recovered the spent shell casing from the bullet that was fired from the gun and the projectile that was recovered from Souza’s shoulder.
Mendoza said investigators believe it was a live round inside the gun fired by Baldwin.
When asked if it was a bullet inside the gun Mendoza said, “We believe it was, because it did fire from the weapon and obviously caused the death of Mrs. Hutchins ... and injured Mr. Souza.”
Mendoza added that investigators are still waiting for lab results to 100% confirm what was inside the gun.
The gun fired by Baldwin was a Colt 45 revolver and Mendoza said he believed there was other ammunition inside that gun.
Live Rounds
When asked how live rounds could have potentially made it into the gun, Mendoza said they were still working to figure out how that happened.
Mendoza said they recovered 500 rounds of ammunition on the set and said that included blanks, dummy rounds and what they suspect were other live rounds.
When asked about possible target practice happening on the set, Mendoza said that he was aware of those statements but that was still under investigation.
He went on to say that as far as he was concerned there was at least one live round and that they suspect there were others – but said that is still unconfirmed.
“We are investigating why there would have been live rounds on the set because they should not have been there,” Mendoza said.
Possible Charges
When asked if Alec Baldwin could face charges, District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said “nothing was off the table.”
But both Carmack-Altwies and Mendoza both stayed consistent that they could not comment on possible charges at this stage of the investigation.
But Carmack-Altwies said that if the facts, evidence and law support charges that her office will initiate prosecution at that time.
Mendoza said there were still many more interviews to be conducted and that investigators were working to sort out rumors from facts.
You can watch the full press conference in the video above.
According to a search warrant released Wednesday, "Rust" assistant director Dave Hall told investigators he didn’t check all of the rounds in the gun before it was fired by actor Alec Baldwin.
That shot hit director of photography Halyna Hutchins fatally wounding her and injured director Joel Souza.
Here is everything we know about last week’s deadly shooting.
Shooting Timeline:
Souza told investigators that the crew started filming at 6:30 a.m. Thursday at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe.
He said filming had started late because they had to find a new crew to shoot the movie after the original crew quit earlier that day.
According to police documents the crew broke for lunch and returned to the set just after 12:30 p.m.
The film's armorer, Hannah Gutierrez, told investigators that on the day of the incident she checked the “dummies” to make sure they were not “hot” rounds.
She said that before the crew left for lunch the firearms were taken and secured inside a safe inside a “prop truck.”
She told investigators that the ammo should have also been secured inside the prop truck but, during lunch, she learned that the ammo had instead been left on a cart on set, not secured.
When the crew returned after lunch, Gutierrez said another crew member retrieved the gun from the safe inside the truck and handed it to her.
She said that while filming she handed Baldwin the gun a couple of times and handed it to Hall.
Hall told investigators that when Guiterrez showed him the gun before continuing rehearsal after lunch, he could only remember seeing three rounds. According to the documents he said, “he should have checked all of them, but didn’t, and couldn’t recall if she spun the drum.”
According to the documents, Souza said he was standing behind Hutchins looking at the camera angle on the lens.
Souza said that before the scene he believed the gun was safe and remembered hearing “cold gun” while preparing for the scene.
The documents say Baldwin was sitting in a pew in the church building set and was practicing a cross draw.
That’s when Souza said he heard what sounded like a whip and a loud pop.
He said that he heard Hutchins complain about her stomach and grab her midsection. He said she started to stumble back and was assisted to the ground.
That was when he said he noticed blood coming from his shoulder and saw blood on Hutchins.
Detectives also spoke with cameraman Reid Russell who was standing next to Hutchins and Souza when the shooting occurred. Russel told detectives he heard Hutchins say she couldn’t feel her legs after being shot. He added that on-set medics rushed over to treat her injury.
After the gun was fired, Hall said he picked up the gun and took it to Gutierrez and told her to open the gun so he could see what was inside.
Hall said he remembered seeing at least four “dummy” casings with the hold on the side and one without the hole. He said this round did not have the “cap” on it and was just the casing.
When deputies arrived they retrieved the gun from Gutierrez.
Hutchins was airlifted to UNMH in Albuquerque where she died from her injuries. Souza was rushed to a Santa Fe hospital and was released the following day.
Crew problems:
Souza told investigators that filming started late Thursday because most of the camera crew quit that morning and they had to find another crew to film.
He said once they found another crew, filming took longer than normal because they only had one camera to film the scene.
Related: Alec Baldwin issues statement after a deadly film set shooting
Russell said other members of the camera crew quit that morning because of issues with production having to do with payment and housing.
One of the crew members who walked out Thursday morning told ABC that in addition to payment and housing issues, crew members had brought up concerns about gun safety.
That crew member claims when those issues were brought up to production, they were ignored.
He also said that there had been two accidental discharges within ten minutes of one another just days before.
More: 'Rust' film set had 2 previous accidental discharges, camera crew member says
Hall had also had previous gun safety complaints filed against him by a prop maker that worked with him in 2019.
In a statement, Goll said she had raised safety concerns about Hall when they worked together on Hulu's "Into the Dark" saying he neglected guns safety on that set.
Her statement said Hall "neglected to hold safety meetings or make announcements prior to the appearance of a firearm on set on a daily basis."
Related: 'Rust' assistant director had prior gun safety complaint
What was the gun loaded with?
According to an email to local film union members obtained by ABC, “a live single round was accidentally fired on set.”
However, a producer on the film told ABC Thursday that the shooting was the result of a “misfire of prop gun with blanks.”
Some film industry sources tell KOAT that "live" is a popular industry term that refers to a gun just being ready for filming. So that could mean the gun could be "live" but loaded with material such as a blank.
In Wednesday’s press conference, the Santa Fe County sheriff said that he believed a live round was inside the gun. But added that they could not confirm that until the lab report came back.
When investigators asked Gutierrez about why there would be live-ammo on set, she said that no live ammo was ever kept on set.
Souza echoed this in his statement to investigators saying that there “should never be live rounds, whatsoever, near or around a scene.”
When investigators asked Hall about gun safety protocol on set he said “I check the barrel for obstructions, most of the time there is no live fire, she (Gutierrez) opens the hatch and spins the drunk, and I say cold gun on set.”
Reid told detectives that Baldwin had been "very careful" when it came to handling the firearm used for filming on set.
Who were the victims?
According to her website, originally from Ukraine, Hutchins graduated from the American Film Institute Conservatory in 2015. She is known for her work on “Archenemy,” “Darlin’” and “Blindifre” and was involved in the production of 49 films, TV and video titles, according to IMDb.
Related: What we know about Halyna Hutchins
Hutchins’ sister, Svetlana Androsovyc, said in a statement that her sister’s determination was admired by many.
Read: Hutchins' sister releases statement after director of photography's death
Hutchins’ husband released a statement on Twitter saying there were no words and asking for privacy as their family processed their grief.
The film’s director, Joel Souza, was also injured.
Read: 'Rust' director speaks out after shooting
Souza, writer and director of “Rust,” is a San Francisco-based filmmaker known for his work on “Crown Vic” and “Break Night.” According to IMDb, before “Rust,” Souza directed five movies including, “Crown Vic,” “Break Night,” “Christmas Trade,” “Ghost Squad” and “Hanna’s Gold.” He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and two children.
He was taken to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe to be treated for his injuries.
Where did the shooting happen?
The shooting happened at Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, a popular filming location that has been the site of movies and TV series for over 60 years.
Rust started filming this month at the ranch.
"Rust" is a Western movie set in the 1880s, according to IMDb. In it, a long-time fugitive, played by Alec Baldwin, along with his estranged 13-year-old grandson, are on the run from the law.
In addition to Baldwin, the film also stars Jensen Ackles and Travis Fimmel.
More: What is the movie ‘Rust’?
In 2016, this same location was the site of a stabbing involving two coworkers.
Will charges be filed?
At this time, no charges have been filed.
But the Santa Fe district attorney said “nothing is off the table.”
A lawyer tells KOAT that is unlikely charges will be filed against Baldwin, if he had no knowledge that live ammunition was possibly in the prop gun.
He said charges could be filed against those handling the prop weaponry on set, which could range from involuntary manslaughter to first-degree murder.
More: Legal expert discusses possible charges for Alec Baldwin and 'Rust' crew