New Mexico police revealed on Wednesday that a lead bullet killed a “Rust” cinematographer and wounded a director on set last Thursday.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said the projectile that killed Halyna Hutchins, 42, was recovered from Joel Souza’s shoulder. In addition to the bullet that killed Hutchins, 500 rounds of ammunition were reportedly recovered from the Santa Fe set.
Mendoza also said the stockpile included “blanks, dummy rounds, and what we are suspecting were live rounds,” the news outlet reported.
Actor Alec Baldwin, 63, is believed to have fired a Colt 45 revolver, hitting Hutchins in the chest and wounding Souza, 48. At least three people reportedly handled the gun before the shooting, including first assistant director Dave Halls — who picked up one of three weapons prepared by Hannah Gutierrez Reed and handed it to Baldwin.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Halls had retrieved the gun from a rolling prop card. He reportedly then yelled “cold gun,” suggesting it was not loaded, and gave it to Baldwin.
Per a warrant, a witness recalled how “Alec was trying to explain how he was going to draw out the firearm and where his arm would be at when the firearm was pulled from the holster” when the weapon fired in a mock church pew at Bonanza Creek Ranch.
A day after the shooting, prop master union IATSE Local 44 said in an email that props, set decorations, construction, and special effects were not staffed by their union members. The union also alleged that the prop weapon that accidentally fired contained “a live single round.”
“There were no Local 44 embers on the call sheet,” the union told its members.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Souza told Santa Fe police that multiple people handled the gun involved in the deadly shooting, but he was unsure whether it was checked for safety after they returned from lunch.
On the day of the shooting, six camera crew members reportedly walked off the set due to issues with housing and payment. A witness said the six crew members were threatened with security if they did not leave and they were replaced with three non-union members.
Criminal charges have not been filed in connection with last week’s shooting.
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[Featured image: Alex Baldwin/AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File; Halyna Hutchins/Instagram]
