Armorer on 'Rust' set gets maximum sentence for fatal shooting involving actor Alec Baldwin



The armorer on the set of "Rust" back in October 2021 when 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed has been given the maximum sentence.

Last month, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was convicted of involuntary manslaughter but acquitted of a lesser charge of tampering with evidence, Blaze News previously reported. As armorer, Gutierrez-Reed was responsible for checking the safety of all ammunition and guns on set. She was also the person who loaded a live round into the weapon that fired the fatal shot.

Gutierrez-Reed, who was just 24 at the time of the shooting, sobbed throughout her sentencing hearing on Monday. Her attorney, Jason Bowles, had requested that she be given conditional release along with counseling, claiming she was a "scapegoat" for the shooting and insisting she "has endured and will continue to endure collateral consequences far harsher than most defendants ever must face."

Prosecutor Kari Morrissey stated she might have been persuaded to recommend a lighter sentence for this "unprecedented case" — until she found out Gutierrez-Reed had apparently been referring to jurors as "idiots" and "a**h***s" on recent phone calls from jail.

In addition, reports indicate that while awaiting trial, Gutierrez-Reed violated the conditions of her release by drinking alcohol. She also allegedly misled prosecutors about her work history and encouraged her mother to confront them in the bathroom at court, the New York Post reported.

Gutierrez-Reed "continues to deny responsibility and blame others," prosecutors explained in a letter last week.

"It was my sincere hope during this process that there would be some moment when Ms. Gutierrez took responsibility and expressed some level of remorse that was genuine. That moment has never come. Ms. Gutierrez continues to refuse to take responsibility for her role in the death of Halyna Hutchins," Morrissey said at the hearing.

District Court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer agreed, sentencing Gutierrez-Reed to 18 months in prison, the maximum sentence for involuntary manslaughter in the state of New Mexico, where "Rust" was filmed. "You alone turned a safe weapon into a lethal weapon," the judge told the defendant. "But for you, a husband would have his wife and a little boy would have his mother."

Bowles previously indicated that the defense intends to appeal. Gutierrez-Reed has remained behind bars since her conviction.

Several of Hutchins' loved ones gave impact statements at the hearing, explaining how the loss continues to affect their lives. Emilia Mendieta, one of Hutchins' closest friends, blamed Hutchins' death on "a massive system failure," of which Gutierrez-Reed was a part. "Why was there a live bullet on set? … That is where Hannah Gutierrez-Reed failed Halyna. It was her job to check the gun, check the bullets, to ensure that Halyna was safe," she said.

According to family friend Steven Metz, Matt Hutchins, Halyna's widower, "basically ... died" when his wife died. "There is really no excuse [for her death]," he added.

Actor Alec Baldwin also faces a charge of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the case. Though all evidence suggests he fired the shot that killed Hutchins, Baldwin denies ever pulling the trigger, claiming instead that the gun malfunctioned. His trial is scheduled for July.

David Halls, the first assistant director on "Rust," pled no contest to negligent use of a deadly weapon and has been sentenced to probation.

Filming of "Rust" was placed on hold following the shooting, but it was eventually completed. No release date has been announced. As part of the settlement of a wrongful death lawsuit, Matthew Hutchins was named an executive producer.

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Alec Baldwin catches major break, will now face significantly less prison time if convicted for 'Rust' shooting



Alec Baldwin is counting his lucky stars.

New Mexico prosecutors announced Monday they have dropped the firearm enhancement against him, which would significantly reduce his prison sentence should he be convicted of manslaughter in the death of Halyna Hutchins on the set of "Rust" in October 2021.

What is the background?

Last month, New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies announced two counts of involuntary manslaughter charges against Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed.

The involuntary manslaughter charge, a fourth-degree felony, carries a prison sentence of 18 months. But prosecutors also added a firearm enhancement, which carries a minimum of five years in prison.

What is happening now?

On Monday, the Santa Fe District Attorney's Office announced that it had dropped the firearm enhancement against Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed. Court documents show the enhancement was dropped last Friday.

"In order to avoid further litigious distractions by Mr. Baldwin and his attorneys, the District Attorney and the special prosecutor have removed the firearm enhancement to the involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of Halyna Hutchins on the 'Rust' film set," Carmack-Altwies said in a statement. "The prosecution's priority is securing justice, not securing billable hours for big-city attorneys."

Lawyers for Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed have argued that applying the firearm enhancement in the case is unconstitutional because it became law after the shooting.

After Baldwin was charged, legal experts predicted that Baldwin would face significantly less prison time if convicted than the initial charges suggested. That is precisely because the ex post facto clause in Article 1, Section 10 of the U.S. Constitution prohibits states from retroactively bringing criminal charges for crimes committed before a law is passed.

Baldwin's lawyers, therefore, accused New Mexico prosecutors of committing a "basic legal error" by retroactively charging Baldwin under a law that had not yet existed when the alleged crime was committed.

Baldwin is set to make his first court appearance on Friday, Axios reported.

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Joy Behar shocks 'The View' co-hosts with accusation against DA who charged Alec Baldwin — and it's not even true



Joy Behar actually suggested on "The View" Friday that a New Mexico prosecutor criminally charged Alec Baldwin because she is a "big Republican."

"The DA who is indicting him, or whatever the legal term is right now, she's a big Republican. I'm only saying this because Alec Baldwin is a target for Republicans," Behar said. "They cannot stand him.

"I'm not saying anything more than that," Behar boasted, throwing her hands into the air with a smirk on her face.

As Behar was making her accusation, the camera panned out and showed the reaction of co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin and guest co-host Rachel Lindsay. Both women were obviously disgusted at the claim. They rolled their eyes and immediately challenged it.

\u201cJoy Behar: "The DA who is indicting him...She's a big Republican. I'm only saying this because Alec Baldwin is a target for Republicans...I'm just saying."\u201d
— Daily Caller (@Daily Caller) 1674231505

Other than to posture Baldwin as a victim, it's not clear why Behar would attack the prosecutor who charged him.

In fact, contrary to Behar's claim, New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies is not a "big Republican" — she is a registered Democrat.

Carmack-Altwies announced Thursday criminal charges against Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed over the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of "Rust" in 2021. Both were charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter.

Anything else?

Earlier in the episode, Behar appeared to defend Baldwin by absolving him of responsibility for checking the on-set firearms for live ammunition.

But as Griffin pointed out, Baldwin appeared to have demonstrated a significant amount of "negligence" leading up to the shooting of Hutchins, which is why Carmack-Altwies ultimately brought charges against him.

Moreover, Lindsay, an attorney, added that Carmack-Altwies must believe she has a significant shot of winning in court because she likely would not have brought charges against him given the high-profile nature of the case unless the evidence against Baldwin is overwhelming.

Alec Baldwin To Be Charged With Manslaughter | The View www.youtube.com

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Alec Baldwin, ‘Rust’ producers settle with Halyna Hutchins’ family



The family of Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer who was shot and killed on the set of the movie "Rust" last year, has reached a settlement in the wrongful death lawsuit filed earlier this year against the movie's producers, including Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin.

The settlements were announced in statements reported by Deadline. As part of the agreement, Halyna's widower, Matthew Hutchins, will executive-produce "Rust," which will reportedly return to production in January 2023 with the original cast.

“We have reached a settlement, subject to court approval, for our wrongful death case against the producers of Rust, including Alec Baldwin and Rust Movie Productions, LLC. As part of that settlement, our case will be dismissed,” Hutchins said Wednesday morning.

“The filming of Rust, which I will now executive-produce, will resume with all the original principal players on board in January 2023,” he added.

Halyna Hutchins, 42, was killed on Oct. 21, 2021, while preparing to film a scene at the Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico. Authorities said the film crew was setting a scene when Baldwin pulled the trigger on an old-fashioned gun in his hands. The bullet went through Hutchins' torso and also hit film director Joel Souza. Hutchins died of her injury.

The wrongful death lawsuit accused Baldwin and the other film producers of reckless conduct and aggressive cost-cutting measures that endangered the crew and led to Hutchins' death.

But after the settlement, her husband said her death was a "tragic accident."

"I have no interest in engaging in recriminations or attribution of blame," Hutchins said. "All of us believe Halyna’s death was a terrible accident. I am grateful that the producers and the entertainment community have come together to pay tribute to Halyna’s final work.”

Rust Movie Productions LLC released a statement through its attorney on the settlement: "We are pleased the parties came together to resolve this matter, which, subject to court approval, marks an important step forward in celebrating Halyna’s life and honoring her work.”

In a statement, Souza remembered Hutchins as an "exceedingly talented, kind, creative, and a source of incredible positive energy."

"I only wish the world had gotten to know her under different circumstances, as it surely would have through her amazing work. In my own attempts to heal, any decision to return to finish directing the film could only make sense for me if it was done with the involvement of Matt and the Hutchins family. Though certainly bittersweet, I am pleased that together, we will now complete what Halyna and I started. My every effort on this film will be devoted to honoring Halyna’s legacy and making her proud. It is a privilege to see this through on her behalf.”

An attorney for Alec Baldwin added: "Throughout this difficult process, everyone has maintained the specific desire to do what is best for Halyna’s son. We are grateful to everyone who contributed to the resolution of this tragic and painful situation.”

Baldwin gave his own statement on Instagram Wednesday morning.

“We are pleased to announce today the settlement of the civil case filed on behalf of the family of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins," Baldwin said. "Throughout this difficult process, everyone has maintained the specific desire to do what is best for Halyna’s son. We are grateful to everyone who contributed to the resolution of this tragic and painful situation.”

The Santa Fe sheriff's office has not charged anyone related to the shooting incident.

Alec Baldwin advocates for workplace safety following viral United Airlines brawl



Actor Alec Baldwin has weighed in on the importance of workplace safety after video of a bloody United Airlines fight between a passenger and an employee went viral across social media.

What's a brief history here?

According to TMZ, authorities arrested NFL ex-player Brendan Langley — a former Denver Broncos wide receiver — after he was caught on video punching a United Airlines employee during an altercation at a Newark, New Jersey, airport. The report alleged that the male employee slapped Langley before the former football player hauled off and punched the employee, bloodying him and knocking him down.

Police charged Langley with simple assault.

The unnamed employee, the report added, was initially hospitalized and later terminated from his position at the airline. It is unknown at the time of this reporting if the employee is facing any charges in connection with the fight.

United Airlines fires worker who allegedly slapped ex-NFL player www.youtube.com

So what did Baldwin say about this?

Baldwin raised many an eyebrow earlier this week after he reportedly commented on a Shade Room Instagram video featuring footage of the fight.

The video, titled, "Viral Video Of Altercation With Former NFL Player & A United Airlines Employee Ends With Him Being Charged for Simple Assault — Employee Not Taken Into Custody But Terminated."

Baldwin was said to have commented on the footage, writing, “The guy working at the airport is the victim. He came to work to do a job. The other guy, with his big mouth, is guilty of workplace abuse, where people come to work with an expectation of safety, even civility. This a**hole who hit this guy should be put on a no-fly list.”

Baldwin would know all about workplace safety issues. The New Mexico Environment Department's Occupational Health and Safety Bureau fined Baldwin's film production, "Rust," more than $130,000 for firearms safety failures after the actor was said to have accidentally shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins wbile on set.

Alec Baldwin delivers bizarre video rant, invokes Jan. 6 riot and cherished Splenda packet, while vowing to 'find out the truth' in shooting death of 'Rust' cinematographer



Alec Baldwin delivered a bizarre video rant about the investigation of the shooting death of "Rust" cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. In the nearly five-minute-long Instagram video posted on Saturday, Baldwin said that receiving a Splenda packet from a fan was a "miracle" and referred to the riots at the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021.

On his verified Instagram account with nearly 2.5 million followers, Baldwin issued an update regarding the shooting death of a cinematographer on the set of the movie "Rust." Sitting inside his SUV, Baldwin began his video discussing a missing Splenda packet that a neighbor found that had a handwritten note to the Hollywood actor.

"You are 100% true," the fan wrote to Baldwin. "Thanks for the laughs, Good Sir. Cheers to a new year. Love you.”

Baldwin brought his hand to his face and began to chuckle.

"She found the Splenda packet," Baldwin stated. "It's the Splenda packet."

Baldwin asked, "Does this mean that 2022 is going to be a good year? Wouldn't that be nice?"

Speaking of the Splenda packet, Baldwin exclaimed, "That is nothing short of a miracle." He added, "Can you believe something as silly as this has that much value?"

"Putting in pockets now so that I never lose it again," Baldwin stated as he put the small package of sugar substitute in his coat pocket.

Baldwin immediately pivoted from bubbly Splenda miracles to addressing concerning accusations that he is not fully cooperating with authorities in the shooting death of Halyna Hutchins.

"Any suggestion that I am not complying with requests or orders or demands or search warrants about my phone, that's bulls***, that's a lie," Baldwin declared, adding that authorities "have to specify what exactly they want."

"They can't just go through your phone and take, you know, your photos or your love letters to your wife or what have you," he claimed.

"But of course, we are 1000% going to comply with all that," the actor said. "We are perfectly fine with that."

He then suddenly made another peculiar detour by commenting on the death of Sidney Poitier.

“Sidney Poitier died, he's on the cover of the Daily News, and the cover of the [New York] Post has something else," Baldwin expressed.

On Jan. 8, the cover of the New York Post had a story titled, "Why Won't Alec Help?"

The New York Post article alleged:

Alec Baldwin, who has yet to turn over his cellphone to law enforcement in connection with the law enforcement investigation into the fatal shooting on the set of the movie “Rust, may be holding onto the device for a number of reasons, legal experts told The Post on Friday.

The lawyers theorized that the 63-year old actor may be concerned about the possibility of “incriminating” evidence on the phone— including deleted texts or photos that could hold him in criminal contempt–or may simply want to keep his private conversations out of the public eye.

"There could be incriminating evidence on the phone, or it might be for privacy reasons,” said Kevin Kearon, a former Nassau District Attorney’s Office who’s now a criminal defense lawyer.

“If he deleted text messages or call records then he would face the possibility of criminal contempt,” said Kearon, who works at the Long Island firm Barket Epstein Kearon. “Or if there are personal messages, for example, between he and his wife, it’s not shocking that he wouldn’t want them in the public domain.”

Baldwin — who wielded the firearm that shot and killed Hutchins — said, "The best way, the only way, we can honor the death of Halyna Hutchins is to find out the truth. That's what I'm working toward, insisting on, demanding."

"Any suggestion that I’m not complying, is a lie," the "30 Rock" actor stated in the video with nearly 200,000 views. "But I have no worries about that. That's all gonna work itself out. Regardless of what they say in these right-wing rag sheets. And people who are all about hate."

Then he curiously made a reference to the Capitol riots, "But setting aside all the hate, setting aside all the January 6th of it all, here it is," before once again presenting the Splenda packet with the compliments to the actor on it.

Alec Baldwin feels no guilt and says he bears no responsibility in deadly 'Rust' shooting, but is bothered by George Clooney's criticism



Alec Baldwin gave an interview to ABC News – the first time the actor has done so since the fatal shooting on the set of his movie "Rust." Baldwin was the one handling the gun that went off and lethally shot "Rust" cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. However, the actor declared in the ABC News interview that he isn't responsible for the shooting death of the 41-year-old mother.

Baldwin portrayed Harland Rust, an Old West outlaw who "sets out to rescue his 13-year-old grandson Lucas after he is sentenced to hang for an accidental murder and must go on the run from U.S. Marshal Wood Helm and bounty hunter Fenton 'Preacher' Lang," according to entertainment news site Screen Rant.

On the day of the deadly shooting, Baldwin claimed he spoke to Hutchins to go over the scene they would film that day for the low-budget Western movie, set in 1880s Kansas. In the scene, Baldwin's character is severely wounded but manages to draw his gun on two adversaries.

Baldwin said he was handed a .45 Colt revolver by Dave Halls — the film’s first assistant director. Halls allegedly told Baldwin, "This is a cold gun" — meaning the firearm was either empty or not loaded with live rounds.

Lisa Torraco, an attorney representing Halls, previously said it was not her client's responsibility to check the weapon for live ammunition and did not confirm whether Halls presented the gun to Baldwin.

"Whether or not he handed the firearm directly to Alec Baldwin at that moment or whether the armorer handed it directly to Alec Baldwin at that moment doesn't really matter because he didn't load it," Torraco said last month. "He's not responsible for checking it."

"What I can tell you is that expecting an assistant director to check a firearm is like telling the assistant director to check the camera angle or telling the assistant director to check sound or lighting," Torraco added. "That’s not the assistant director’s job. If he chooses to check the firearm because he wants to make sure that everyone is safe, he can do that."

Baldwin asserts that he was taking directions from Hutchins.

"This was a marking rehearsal," Baldwin told host George Stephanopoulos. "And [Hutchins] says to me, 'Hold the gun lower. Go to your right. OK, right there. All right, do that. Now show it a little bit lower.' And she's getting me to position the gun."

"She's guiding me through how she wants me to hold the gun for this angle," he continued. "I'm holding the gun where she told me to hold it, which ended up being aimed right below her armpit."

Baldwin said he needed to cock the gun, but not to fire it: "The trigger wasn't pulled. I didn't pull the trigger."

The actor noted, "I cock the gun. I go, 'Can you see that? Can you see that? Can you see that?' And then I let go of the hammer of the gun, and the gun goes off. I let go of the hammer of the gun, the gun goes off."

The bullet struck both "Rust" director Joel Souza and Hutchins. Souza would recover from the gunshot wound, but Hutchins died on the day of the shooting, Oct. 21.

Baldwin recalled the shooting, "[Hutchins] goes down. I thought to myself, ‘Did she faint?' The notion that there was a live round in that gun did not dawn on me till probably 45 minutes to an hour later."

"At the very end of my interview with the sheriff's department … they said to me, 'We regret to tell you that [Hutchins] didn't make it,'" Baldwin said. "They told me right then and there."

Baldwin contended that he didn't pull the trigger of the gun. "I would never point a gun at anyone and pull a trigger at them."

Steve Wolf, a movie armorer with more than 30 years of experience, questioned Baldwin's claims that he didn't pull the trigger.

"On a scale of one to 10? Zero," Wolf told the Wrap. "You know, guns don’t go up by themselves, right? It’s an inanimate object. It has no batteries. It has no timer. It has no web connection. It’s not a smart piece of equipment. It’s a very reliable device that shoots when you press the trigger, and it doesn’t shoot when you don’t press the trigger."

The Santa Fe Sheriff's Department is investigating the shooting and is waiting for results from the FBI on "how the gun could have been fired, whether that was just pulling back the hammer – which hits the firing pin – just pulling the trigger or both," according to Fox News.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza told Fox News, "Guns don't just go off. So whatever needs to happen to manipulate the firearm, he did that and it was in his hands."

Stephanopoulos noted that experts say never to point a gun at anyone, no matter what.

Baldwin responded, "Unless the person is the cinematographer who's directing me at where to point the gun for her camera angle. That's exactly what happened."

Last month, fellow actor George Clooney questioned whether the fatal shooting could have been averted by Baldwin.

"Every single time I’m handed a gun on the set — every time — they hand me a gun, I look at it, I open it, I show it to the person I’m pointing it to, I show it to the crew,” Clooney said during an appearance on the "WTF with Marc Maron" podcast. "Every single take. You hand it back to the armor when you’re done."

"Maybe Alec did that — hopefully he did do that," Clooney added. "But the problem is dummies are tricky because they look like real [rounds]. They got a little tiny hole in the back [from which] somebody’s [removed] the gunpowder."

Baldwin was bothered by Clooney's commentary on the deadly shooting.

"There were a lot of people who felt it necessary to contribute some comment to the situation, which really didn't help the situation at all," Baldwin griped. "If your protocol is you checking the gun every time, well, good for you. Good for you."

"My protocol was to trust the person that had the job," he scoffed. "And it worked up until this point."

Baldwin confidently proclaimed that he is not responsible for the death of Halyna Hutchins.

"Someone put a live bullet in a gun, a bullet that wasn't even supposed to be on the property," Baldwin said. "Someone is responsible for what happened, and I can't say who that is, but I know it's not me."

Stephanopoulos asked Baldwin if he feels guilt in the tragic situation.

"No. No,” Baldwin replied. "I might have killed myself if I thought I was responsible, and I don't say that lightly."

The actor says the deadly incident has weighed on him.

"I have dreams about this constantly now," he said. "I go through my day, and I make it through the day. Then I collapse at the end of the day. Emotionally, I collapse."

Baldwin admitted his Hollywood career could be over, but alleges, "I couldn't give a s**t about my career any more."

He said this is the worst thing that's ever happened to him, adding, "Because I think back, and I think of what could I have done?"

After the shooting, Baldwin met with Hutchins’ widower, Matthew Hutchins, and his 9-year-old son he shared with Halyna.

"I didn't know what to say," Baldwin revealed. "[Matthew] hugged [me] and he goes, like, 'I suppose you and I are going to go through this together,' he said. And I thought, 'Well, not as much as you are.'"

Baldwin has been named in two civil lawsuits over the shooting, including one that argued the actor "played Russian roulette" by the way he handled the firearm.

Alec Baldwin: Unscripted l PART 1 www.youtube.com

'Rust' assistant director backs up Alec Baldwin's claim that he 'did not pull that trigger'



Dave Halls, assistant "Rust" director, says that actor Alec Baldwin did not pull the trigger on the prop gun that discharged on the film's set.

What's a brief history here?

In October, Baldwin was holding a revolver during a "Rust" rehearsal at Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico, when the firearm apparently discharged a live round, striking two people.

The incident claimed the life of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins — who was struck in the chest — and injured the film's director, Joel Souza.

Souza recovered from his injury.

What are the details?

Attorney Lisa Torraco told ABC News' Kaylee Hartung that Halls corroborated Baldwin's claim that he did not pull the trigger, KGO-TV reported on Thursday.

"Dave has told me since the very first day I met him that Alec did not pull that trigger," Torraco said. "His finger was never in the trigger guard."

She added, "Dave has told me since day one that it was an accident. It was a pure accident — freak, awful accident [that] unfortunately killed somebody."

Baldwin himself, in a recent interview with ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos, said the same thing.

"The trigger wasn't pulled," he insisted. "I didn't pull the trigger. I would never point a gun at someone and pull the trigger on them, never."

"Someone put a live bullet in a gun, a bullet that wasn't even supposed to be on the property," Baldwin said during the interview, which airs Thursday at 8 p.m.

No charges have been filed in the case as authorities continue their investigation.

"I will be shocked if criminal charges get filed against Mr. Halls," Torraco added of the assistant director. "He had no responsibility, no liability and certainly not at the level of criminal liability."

Anything else?

In November, an attorney for the film's armorer said that authorities were investigating the possibility that someone sabotaged the set, but Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies disputed the notion.

"I know that some defense attorneys have come up with conspiracy theories and have used the word sabotage," Carmack-Altwies said at the time. "We do not have any proof."

Alec Baldwin Exclusive: 'The trigger wasn't pulled. I didn't pull the trigger.' | ABC Newswww.youtube.com

New lawsuit claims Alec Baldwin 'played Russian roulette' by not checking weapon, deadly 'Rust' scene didn't call for gun to be fired



A new lawsuit claims that the fatal "Rust" movie scene did not call for Alec Baldwin to fire a gun. The "Rust" shooting took the life of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. In the lawsuit, Mamie Mitchell — the script supervisor for the Western movie — noted that Baldwin acted "intentionally, without just cause or excuse" in the deadly shooting.

Mitchell announced the new lawsuit on Wednesday at a press conference in Los Angeles with her lawyer Gloria Allred.

"Mr. Baldwin chose to play Russian roulette when he fired a gun without checking it and without having the armorer do so in his presence," the high-power attorney said of the Oct. 21 shooting. "His behavior and that of the producers on 'Rust' was reckless."

Allred listed several safety protocols that were not followed during the filming of "Rust" in New Mexico. She noted that there was live ammunition on the movie set, people other than the armorer handled firearms, and that the fact that "safety bulletins were not promulgated or ignored makes this a case where injury or death was much more than just a possibility."

"Days before the shooting there were warning signs that there were dangerous conditions related to guns on the set," Allred said. "A camera operator had reported two gun discharges during a rehearsal in a cabin. 'This is super unsafe,' the camera operator wrote in a text message to the production manager."

Mitchell's lawsuit claimed, "Alec Baldwin intentionally, without just cause or excuse, cocked and fired and loaded gun even though the upcoming scene to be filmed did not call for the cocking and firing of a firearm."

Mitchell is claiming assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and deliberate infliction of harm. She is requesting unspecified damages.

Beside Baldwin, the lawsuit also names armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed, prop master Sarah Zachry, and assistant producer Dave Halls, according to Fox News.

Baldwin was handed a .45 Colt revolver by Halls — who allegedly shouted "cold gun," meaning the firearm was not loaded with live rounds. Baldwin fired the gun and shot Hutchins and director Joel Souza at the Bonanza Creek Ranch studio. Souza was injured and recovered from his gunshot injuries, but Hutchins died.

Mitchell described the moment that the shooting happened.

"I saw Alec going through his movement with the gun for the camera," Mitchell said. "I was holding my script in my left hand and had taken out my iPhone and opened up my photos to check the continuity on his shirt and vest. Then an explosion. Deafening loud gunshot."

"I was stunned. I heard someone moaning and I turned around and my director was falling backwards and holding his upper body and I turned around toward Alec and saw Halyna going down to the left of me," she explained.

Mitchell "ran outside" and called 911.

"She was on a stretcher and not moving ... her left hand was on her stomach ... it was blue," Mitchell said of Hutchins.

"I could not believe this was happening," she said.

Last week, "Rust" lighting director Serge Svetnoy filed the first negligence lawsuit in the tragic shooting.

Svetnoy alleges that the bullet "narrowly missed him," and he was "no more than six to seven feet" from Baldwin when the gun went off "suddenly and completely unexpectedly," according to the Los Angeles Times. He adds that he was struck by "discharge materials from the blast."

Rust script supervisor sues Alec Baldwin after fatal shooting www.youtube.com

'Rust' armorer breaks silence, blames producers for 'unsafe' set, has 'no idea where live rounds came from'



The armorer on the set of the "Rust" movie has broken her silence on the fatal shooting of a cinematographer Halyna Hutchins by actor Alec Baldwin.

Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 24, released a statement pertaining to the deadly shooting through her New Mexico-based attorneys – Jason Bowles and Robert Gorence.

"Safety is Hannah's number on priority on set," the attorneys said. "Ultimately this set would never have been compromised if live ammo were not introduced. Hannah has no idea where the live rounds came from."

"She fought for training, days to maintain weapons, and proper time to prepare for gunfire but ultimately was overruled by production and her department," the statement said of the armorer. "The whole production set became unsafe due to various factors, including lack of safety meetings. This was not the fault of Hannah."

The attorneys allege that Gutierrez-Reed was hired for two positions on "Rust" – which they say "made it extremely difficult to focus on her job as an armorer." The attorneys did not specify what the second position was.

Gutierrez-Reed said through her lawyers that there were two prior firearm discharges on the set of the Western-themed movie.

"The first one on this set was the prop master and the second one was a stunt man after Hannah informed him his gun was hot with blanks," her legal team said. "Hannah still, to this day, has never had an accidental discharge."

Gutierrez-Reed's attorneys addressed rumors that crew members used live ammunition for target practice.

"Hannah and the prop master gained control over the guns and she never witnessed anyone shoot live rounds with these guns nor would she permit that," the statement says. "They were locked up every night and at lunch and there's no way a single one of them was unaccounted for or being shot by crew members."

Gutierrez-Reed previously told authorities that "no live ammo is ever kept on set," according to a search warrant.

However, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza disputed that statement during an appearance on "Today."

"No, obviously it isn't," Mendoza said Thursday morning. "That was a live round that struck and killed Ms. Hutchins so that's not an accurate statement as far as I'm concerned."

“That is not an accurate statement.” -Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza on “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’… https://t.co/ufFw0JYzfh

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) 1635422618.0

Mendoza said that 500 rounds of ammunition — a mix of blanks, dummy rounds, and suspected live rounds — were found on the set. Over 12 revolvers and a rifle were also reportedly seized by police. Mendoza noted that the evidence taken from the set of "Rust" would be submitted to the FBI crime lab in Quantico, Virginia, for analysis, according to CNBC.

"I think there's all kinds of scenarios that can play out here," Mendoza said Thursday. "We need to make a determination of who was responsible for bringing the rounds onto set and why they were there, and then ultimately who was responsible for the safety of that firearm, and up until the firing of the firearm."

Regarding potential criminal charges in the shooting death of 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, Santa Fe County District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said, "All options are on the table."

Carmack-Altwies added, "No one has been ruled out at this point."

Mendoza names Baldwin, Gutierrez-Reed, and "Rust" assistant director David Halls as having handled the 1880s-style Pietta long Colt .45 revolver that Baldwin accidentally shot Hutchins and director Joel Souza at the Bonanza Creek Ranch studio while filming. Mendoza noted that all three "have been cooperative in the investigation and have provided statements."

Before the shooting, Halls reportedly assured everyone on the "Rust" set that the gun had blanks by shouting, "cold gun."

Halls informed investigators that he did not check all of the rounds in the firearm before handing it to Baldwin, according to an affidavit filed Wednesday.

"Gutierrez-Reed insists she had 'checked the 'dummies' and made sure there were not 'hot rounds' in the gun," Deadline reported.

Earlier this week, a spokesperson for the producers of "Rust," said that they are cooperating with authorities.

Armorer On Set Of Alec Baldwin Movie Speaks Out About Fatal Shooting www.youtube.com