Mendoza said that it is “too early to comment” on whether charges will be filed in this case after 42-year-old Halyna Hutchins was killed during an on-set rehearsal for the movie “Rust.”
Carmack-Altwies told reporters Wednesday that “no one has been ruled out” for possible charges.
She also added that she may consider past reports of negligence on set from Assistant Director Dave Halls and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed.
An affidavit filed Wednesday revealed that Halls admits he “should have checked” all the rounds inside the barrel of the prop gun that was fired on set. However, Gutierrez-Reed told authorities that she ensured the rounds in the gun were not “hot.”
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Souza said Hutchins “began to stumble backwards” and was helped to the ground. He said he “could see blood” on her.
“Rust” cameraman Reid Russel said he remembers Souza “having blood on his person” and Hutchins “speaking and saying she couldn’t feel her legs” after the gun went off.
Russel said medics began to tend to Hutchins’ injury once she was lying on the ground.
FULL STORY: ‘Rust’ Gaffer Shares ‘Last Photo’ of Halyna Hutchins Before Fatal Shooting
According to a story from The Wrap, Stu Brumbaugh, who worked as a key grip on the film “The Old Way,” said Gutierrez-Reed upset crew members and Cage during the production by not following basic safety protocols.
Brumbaugh said Cage became irate with Gutierrez-Reed after she fired a gun near the cast for a second time in three days without first giving them a warning.
“Make an announcement, you just blew my f***ing eardrums out!” Brumbaugh said Cage yelled at the armorer before storming off the set.
“I told the [assistant director], ‘She needs to be let go,’” Brumbaugh told the outlet. “After the second round, I was pissed off. We were moving too fast. She’s a rookie.”
FULL STORY: ‘Rust’ Armorer Once Upset Nicolas Cage Over Safety Issues on Previous Film
Gutierrez-Reed set up a cart outside of the set with the firearm that Assistant Director Dave Halls gave to Alec Baldwin before the incident. She said the ammunition was left on the cart, the affidavit said.
She said the gun and ammunition were kept inside a safe on a “prop truck.” Gutierrez-Reed said they were “not secured,” but only a few people have access and the combination to the safe, according to the document.
Gutierrez-Reed told an investigator that no live ammunition “is ever kept on set.”
He said he brought the gun to the film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed to be checked before the rehearsal on the day of the incident.
“I check the barrel for obstructions, most of the time there’s no live fire, [Hannah] opens the hatch and spins the drum, and I say cold gun on set,” Halls told authorities. This means the firearms did not contain live rounds.
Halls said he recalled seeing three rounds in the chamber.
“He advised he should have checked all of them, but didn’t, and couldn’t recall if [Gutierrez] spun the drum,” the warrant said.
After the gun went off, “Hannah then was told to ‘open’ the gun so he could see what was inside. David advised he could only remember seeing at least four ‘dummy’ casings with the hole on the side, and one without the hole,” the search warrant said.
He said he will “track down” those reports as part of the ongoing investigation.
District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said past reports of negligence from Armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed and Assistant Director Dave Halls on other sets could “play into whether charges get filed or not.”
“I think there was some complacency on this set, and I think there are some safety issues that need to be addressed by the industry, and possibly by the state of New Mexico,” he said during a press conference.
He added that anytime firearms are involved, “safety is paramount.”
Mendoza said all three people have been interviewed and are cooperating with the investigation.
He said he will leave that up to the medical examiner to determine for sure.
Mendoza could not confirm if the round Alec Baldwin fired on set was live.
He said that it was a “suspected live round,” but because the round caused such severe injuries, Mendoza said it was likely a live round.
Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said she will wait for more evidence to come forward in the ongoing investigation.
“I do not make rash decisions and I do not rush to judgments,” Carmack-Altwies said.
She added that “no one has been ruled out” for possible charges.
He said they also recovered the lead projectile fired from the prop gun from Director Joel Souza’s shoulder.
An additional 500 rounds, a mix of live and blanks, and other firearms were recovered from the set. All of this evidence will be submitted to FBI for analysis.
The briefing will be streamed live on the Sheriff’s Facebook page.
