‘I wasn’t sure I was ready’ said armourer in charge of fatal loaded movie gun
THE armourer in charge of the gun that killed one crew member and wounded another on Alec Baldwin’s movie set feared she was not “ready” for a top job handling firearms, it was revealed yesterday.
Hannah Gutierrez-reed, 24, told a US podcast interviewer just last month that the feature film Rust would be only the second on which she was to lead the department.
Ms Gutierrez-reed – daughter of veteran Hollywood armourer and prop gun expert Thell Reed – admitted that on her first film, another Western calledthe Oldway starring Nicolas Cage, she “almost didn’t take the job” as she was not sure she was adequately prepared.
Police in Santa Fe, New Mexico are continuing their investigation into movie star Baldwin’s fatal shooting of director of photography Halyna Hutchins, 42, and wounding of film director Joel Souza, 48. It
has emerged that one crew member blamed another for the accident in emergency calls, while workers alleged there were two previous “accidental discharges” on the set, and half a dozen disgruntled crew had walked out.
The movie’s assistant director Dave Halls, a veteran of major productions including Fargo and The Matrix Reloaded, is named in court documents related to the search warrants.
He is said to have handed a Colt pistol to Alec Baldwin and shouted “Cold gun!” to indicate it was loaded with blanks.
But when Baldwin – who is also producing the film – pulled the trigger, a fatal shot was fired.
Baldwin, 63, was later photographed sobbing in the car park of the county sheriff’s office – and later wrote: “No words can convey my shock and sadness.”
The actor, who was questioned by detectives, reportedly asked: “Why was I handed a hot gun?”
Police will not officially confirm that a live round was discharged until a ballistics report is ready.
They did, however, act on two search warrants – one of which named Ms Gutierrez-reed – and seized three prop guns and other evidence, including blood-spattered clothing worn by Baldwin, from the set at Bonanza Creek Ranch.
It is understood that a single shot tore through the chest of Ukrainianborn cinematographer Halyna, who later died after being airlifted to hospital, before hitting the shoulder of director Souza, who has now been released from hospital.
On Friday, Baldwin attended a memorial service for Hutchins, attended by her widower Matthew, 38, and their son Andros, nine. Last night, Souza said in a statement: “I am gutted by the loss of my friend and colleague, Halyna.
“She was kind, vibrant, incredibly talented, fought for every inch and always pushed me to be better.
“My thoughts are with her family at this most difficult time.
“I am humbled and grateful for the outpouring of affection we have received from our filmmaking community, the people of Santa Fe, and the hundreds of strangers who have reached out.”
Just weeks ago, armourer Ms
Gutierrez-reed called movie The Old Way “a really bada** way to start off a really long and cool career, I’m hoping”.
“It was also my first time being head armourer as well,” she explained. “You know, I was really nervous about it at first, and I almost didn’t take the job as I wasn’t sure if I was ready, but, doing it like, it went really smoothly.”
She admitted she was “still learning” her art after training with her dad, saying: “A lot of things I just kind of caught on by myself through observation.
“I think loading blanks was the scariest thing…
“But he taught me that and eventually by the time I was trying to figure out how to make a specific blank go when you want it to… I figured that out on my own.”
Santa Fe Police yesterday released shocking audio recordings of 911 calls by panic-stricken crew members.
Script supervisor Mamie Mitchell is heard blaming an assistant director, saying: “This **** ing AD that yelled at me at lunch [is] supposed to check the guns… he’s responsible for what happened.”
It has been claimed that hours before the tragedy, at least six crew members walked off set in a protest over working conditions, long hours, late pay cheques and safety protocols on the low-budget movie.
The LA Times reports at least one camera operator complained to a production manager about gun safety, alleging there had been “two accidental prop discharges” already.
Santa Fe Police and Baldwin’s production company El Dorado Pictures declined to comment on the alleged previous discharges.
Litigation over the tragedy could run to millions of dollars and take years to resolve, experts say.
But yesterday, a Hollywood weapons professional said Baldwin forgot the first rule of gun safety.
Bryan Carpenter, head of Dark Thirty Film Services, said: “Loaded or unloaded, a weapon never gets pointed at another human being. You never let the muzzle of a weapon cover something you don’t intend to destroy.”