investigation continues after Alec Baldwin accidentally shot on set

The investigation into the death Thursday October 21 of a director of photography in the United States, killed by a shot by Alec Baldwin during the filming of a western, continues on Saturday 23. The role of the film gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez Reed, 24, is under close scrutiny by investigators because it was she who had, according to a preliminary investigation report consulted by AFP, prepared the gun with which the actor fired the shot fatal.

Assistant director Dave Halls, described as a seasoned professional, then handed this gun to Alec Baldwin during a rehearsal for a scene from the film, informing him that she was “cold”, that is, not loaded with an actual bullet in cinematic jargon. Dave Halls does “did not know that the weapon was loaded with live ammunition”, says an agent from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office in New Mexico. After the shot, Hannah Gutierrez Reed was given the weapon and collected the used cartridge, before handing them to the police on their arrival, the report adds. No prosecution has yet been initiated, a spokesperson for the sheriff said on Friday.