Hannah Gutierrez Reed, a lawyer representing Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed, suggested that a disgruntled crew member might have planted the live-round that killed Halyna HUTCHINS in a box of prop ammunition as a way to’sabotage Alec Baldwin’s film.
During an interview Today Show’sJason Bowles told Savannah Guthrie that Gutierrez, 24, had no reason for believing there was a live cartridge in the box. It was supposed to contain only “dummy” rounds and was marked so.
Bowles stated, ‘There was a package of dummy rounds and the box is labeled ‘dummy’.[Gutierrez Reed]She loaded rounds from the box into her handgun, only to discover later that she had a live round.
The armorer then handed the vintage Colt pistol to assistant director David Halls, who, in turn, passed it on to Baldwin and announced ‘cold gun,’ indicating that the weapon was safe to use, according to authorities investigating the deadly October 21 shooting near Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Robert Gorence (left), and Jason Bowles(right), representing Hannah Gutierrez Reed, ‘Rust’ armer, appeared on Wednesday’s Today Show to talk about the fatal shooting.
Gutierrez Reed’s lawyers claimed Gutierrez Reed loaded her Colt with rounds from a box meant to contain only ‘dummy’ ammunition.
Guthrie was told that Bowles said, ‘We’re assuming someone put the living round in that box.’ The purpose of the person who placed the live round in the box with dummy rounds was to sabotage the set. There is no other reason why you would do this: to mix that live round with the Dummy rounds.
Numerous crew members came out to claim that they were too tired and were denied accommodation in the vicinity of the set.
Gutierrez Reed’s lawyers suggested Wednesday that one of the crew members might have planted the live round on the set as revenge.
Bowles stated that he believes that someone would attempt to sabotage the set. He would also want to prove a point.
The armorer’s lawyers suggested that a disgruntled crewmember on set near Santa Fe (New Mexico) may have planted the liveround as an act of sabotage
Alec Baldwin (left), accidentally shot and killed Halyn Hutchins, a cinematographer, and injured Joel Souza (right).
Baldwin, taken just hours after the shooting. He was questioned about Hutchins’ loss and referred to him as his ‘friend.
“And we know that people had already walked from the set the day prior… and the reason why they are unhappy is that they’re working 12-14 hour days, they don’t have hotel rooms in the area, so they had the to drive an hour to Albuquerque and they’re miserable.
Robert Gorence (Gutierrez Reed’s other attorney) revealed that the Colt had been kept in a safe, but the box of ammunition was in a pro truck. This truck was ‘completely unattended at any time, giving someone access and an opportunity.
Gorence also stated that the armorer had retrieved the gun from the box and loaded it with rounds, but it was left unattended for two hours before a film shoot in the afternoon.
Gutierrez Reed’s lawyers said Gutierrez Reed was justified in her actions. They stated that the loaded firearm was not in her custody for the entire filming, as Gutierrez Reed was expected to do two jobs on the set: as an armourer and as a props assistant.
Lawyers stated that Gutierrez Reed (pictured at her Arizona home, left) handed the loaded pistol to David Halls (right), spinning the chamber to show him the rounds but not inspecting them
Bowels stated that Gutierrez Reed gave the gun she had loaded earlier, to Halls, after which she went about her other duties of a props assistant.
The lawyer informed her that Gutierrez Reed had spun the chamber to show Halls how it worked.
Bowles stated that Bowles spun the cylinder for him. “She showed him every round in that chamber, which had six.
He stated that ‘the problem with a dummy round is that they all have the same projectile tips. Some of these do not have holes in the sides. They mimic real rounds and look exactly like them.
The legal team of the armorer admitted that she didn’t inspect the gun to make sure that it was not filled with live ammunition.
Gorence explained that Gutierrez Reed wasn’t present in the church during the shooting, as it was happening while cameras were being set up and not during filming.
The lawyer stated, “She wasn’t there.”
The attorneys for the armorer said that they are cooperating in the investigation and hope that the FBI will be able to identify who planted the live round.
Gutierrez Reed attorneys say she is ‘absolutely devastated.
Bowles stated, ‘She is still very emotional about all that has happened.’ She said that she was devastated by the events and was shocked to see the scene.
Alec Baldwin and Hilaria Baldwin will leave the bedroom they share with their children in Manchester on November 1st
Baldwin released a public statement one day after Hutchins’s death. In it, he stated that he was cooperating and offered his condolences.
Halls released a statement to the New York Post on Monday, saying he hopes the tragedy prompts the film industry to “reevaluate its values and practices” to ensure no one is harmed again.
Concerns have been raised about Halls’ safety record by colleagues on two previous productions.
Adan Mendoza, Santa Fe County Sheriff, stated last week that there was’some complacency in the way weapons were handled’. Investigators found around 500 rounds of ammunition — a mix of blanks, dummy rounds and suspected live rounds — even though the set’s armorer, Gutierrez Reed, said real ammo should never have been present.