(Los Angeles) The gunsmith employed on the film Rust was never aware of the presence of “live bullets” on the set where the cinematographer was accidentally killed by actor Alec Baldwin, her lawyers said Friday.
This is the first time since the drama that took place in Santa Fe, New Mexico on October 21 that the gunsmith, Hannah Gutierrez Reed has spoken publicly.
This accident would never have happened “if live ammunition had not been introduced” on the set, underline his lawyers in a press release sent to AFP, rejecting any responsibility of their client in the death of filmmaker Halyna Hutchins.
“Hannah has no idea where this live ammunition is coming from,” they say.
The specialist site The Wrap claimed, citing sources familiar with the filming, that some members of the film crew had used the revolver in question to fire live ammunition at cans of beer just hours before the accident.
Hannah Gutierrez Reed, 24, “has never seen anyone shoot live ammunition with these weapons (from filming, editor’s note) and she would never have allowed it,” the statement from lawyers at Jason Bowles continued.
On a film, the gunsmith is responsible for the weapons used during the various shots and must constantly ensure that they do not present any danger to the team. Firearms are supposed to be kept locked up when not in use.
“The weapons were locked away every night and during meals,” says the gunsmith.
According to the first investigation reports, the young woman told the police that she had secured the weapons during the lunch break preceding the accident, but not the ammunition, which remained on an accessory cart near of the plateau.
Searches carried out on the set resulted in the seizure of 500 cartridges, dummy or blank, which also appear to be live ammunition, said Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza, who is overseeing the investigation.
This ammunition must be assessed by the scientific police, as well as the fatal bullet, which ended its course in the shoulder of the director Joel Souza, injured during the shooting.
Live bullets are totally prohibited on set by the very strict rules in force in the film industry, precisely to prevent this kind of accident.
“Become dangerous”
Hannah Gutierrez Reed, who only had one feature film to her credit before Rust, said to have been “hired to occupy two positions on this film, which made it very difficult for her to concentrate on her work as a gunsmith”.
Requests made to production for more time to prepare weapons and shooting scenes were, she said, rejected.
“The whole shoot became dangerous due to a number of factors, including the lack of safety meetings. It wasn’t Hannah’s fault, ”the lawyers say.
Members of the film crew quoted by US media complained about lax safety on the set before the accident, including other unwanted gunfire.
According to his lawyers, the gunsmith is out of the question: a first shot is due to the head props and a second to “a stuntman who had been warned by Hannah” that the weapon contained blank cartridges, they say.
“I think there was a certain carelessness on this set,” Sheriff Adan Mendoza said.
No arrests have taken place at this point and investigations are continuing into the circumstances of the tragedy at the Bonanza Creek ranch.
Alec Baldwin was handling a gun that had been presented to him as unloaded and harmless by assistant director Dave Halls. The latter admitted that he should have checked the weapon before the rehearsal, but that he had not.
At a press conference, prosecutor Mary Carmack-Altwies did not rule out possible criminal charges against Mr Baldwin, who is also on the list of producers of Rust. But she insisted that it was too early to establish the responsibilities of each and to formulate the accusations which could result from it.
“We cannot say if there has been negligence and if so on the part of whom, nor how many people are involved. We have no certainty at this point, ”she said.