In an interview with NBC The lawyer for Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who was in charge of weapons on the film set, shares a theory about the fatal incident during the filming of “Rust”.
– How did real ammunition get on the set, and who took it there? says lawyer Jason Bowles in the interview with the channel’s program “Today”.
Shot and killed
– DEAD: Film photographer Halyna Hutchins (right) died as a result of the injuries she received after she was shot on the film set. Photo: Swen Studios
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The incident the lawyer is talking about is then actor Alec Baldwin fired a weapon that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins (42), and injured director Joel Souza (48) almost two weeks ago.
It all took place during the filming of the western movie “Rust” in New Mexico.
A spokesman for Baldwin has previously stated that the incident occurred as a result of a props weapon with a shotgun, which was used on the film set, being fired by mistake.
In the aftermath of the incident, there has been a focus on Gutierrez-Reed, who was responsible for securing the weapon Baldwin used.
Her lawyers, Bowles and Robert Gorence, wonder how real ammunition got into the set, and think it was planted there on purpose to sabotage.
– Someone who wanted to sabotage the set
The bullets that were used in the weapon during the filming must have been taken from a box where there was loose ammunition that you can not shoot with.
“We do not know if the real ammunition came from that box, but we assume that someone put the bullet in that box,” Bowles told NBC.
He then says that he has no proof of the theory he presents, but addresses a possible motive.
The day before the shooting scene, which killed Hutchins and injured Souza, several had left the set in protest due to security concerns. There had also been several misfires of the gun prior to the incident NBC.
Bowles believes this is important to draw into the case:
– Someone who wanted to sabotage the set, wanted to prove a point or want to say that they are dissatisfied or annoyed may have put real ammunition in the box, he explains.
The weapon was left unattended
The lawyers for weapons officer Gutierrez-Reeds further say in the interview that on the same day as the tragedy happened, the gun lay unattended for two hours.
Gutierrez-Reeds was employed in two positions during the filming and was also responsible as a props assistant. This made it difficult for her to take care of the weapon at all times while she was working.
The lawyers also claim that there was a lack of security meetings, and that the person in charge of weapons thought there was not enough time for training and preparation for shots. She must have been overwhelmed by the production when she said that they had to have more time for training.
Sources from the film production are said to have told NBC earlier that it is common for the person responsible for weapons to have other areas of responsibility within a prop team.
– She was my friend
In Baldwin’s first statement after the tragedy, he said that there was an ongoing investigation and that she could not comment on it.
He also shared with the press that Hutchins who died from the shot Baldwin fired was his friend.
– She was my friend. The day I came to Santa Fe I took her out to dinner, we were a very close-knit crew, he said then.
The actor also said that he had sympathy for director Souza who was injured, and that he had been in contact with his family.
Police in Santa Fe, New Mexico, have seized 600 items on the film set for “Rust” of, among other things, firearms, ammunition, clothing and equipment.
Police have also stated that several people held the weapon before actor Baldwin got it.
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