‘Rust’ set shooting press conference: What we learned
Investigators believe they have recovered the “lead projectile” and shell casing from the ammunition that struck and killed the film’s director of photography, Halyna Hutchins, 42, and injured director Joel Souza.
“The facts are clear: a weapon was handed to Mr. Baldwin. The weapon is functional and fired a live round, killing Ms. Hutchins and injuring Mr. Souza,” Sheriff Adan Mendoza said at a joint press conference between the Sante Fe County Sheriff’s Office and district attorney office.
Approximately 500 rounds of ammunition — a combination of blanks, dummy and live rounds — have been seized from the set, Mendoza said. He said they believe the lead projectile that was fired from the gun was recovered from Souza’s shoulder.
A total of three guns were seized from the proximity of the incident, Mendoza added. In addition to the one believed to have been fired by Baldwin, one was altered and not functioning and the other was plastic.
The evidence will be submitted to the FBI for further processing, he said.
Those who were in close proximity to the shooting have been interviewed and authorities are looking to also continue to interview the more than 100 people who were also present in different parts of the set.
Baldwin, Armorer Hannah Reed-Gutierrez and assistant director David Halls have been cooperative with investigators, according to Mendoza.
What happened
The director told investigators Baldwin was “sitting in a pew in a church building setting, and he was practicing a cross draw,” it is stated in the affidavit. A cross draw is when a shooter pulls the weapon from a holster on the opposite side of the body from the draw hand.
Souza also said Hutchins was “complaining about her stomach and grabbing her midsection” after the shot was fired.
Authorities said on Wednesday that they have recovered some camera footage but believe there is no footage of the actual incident.
District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies also said during the press conference that prosecution will be initiated if facts and documents support charges and “all options are on the table” regarding possible charges relating to the incident.
Safety concerns
Souza confirmed to investigators that he heard the term “cold gun,” meaning it was unloaded.
Maggie Goll, an IATSE Local 44 prop maker and licensed pyrotechnician, said in a statement to CNN that while working on Hulu’s “Into the Dark” Anthology Series in February and May of 2019, Halls neglected to hold safety meetings and consistently failed to announce the presence of a firearm on set to the crew, as is protocol.
Baldwin was seen looking visibly upset after the shooting on the “Rust” set and said that he was “fully cooperating” with authorities.
On Wednesday, Mendoza invited those with additional information regarding the set or additional information to contact the Sheriff’s office.
“I think there was some complacency on this set,” he said. “I think there are some safety issues that need to be addressed by the industry and possibly by the state of New Mexico, but I’ll leave that up to the industry and the state to determine what those need to be.”
CNN’s Julia Jones, Kay Jones, Jenn Selva, Susannah Cullinane and Andy Rose contributed to this report
