Alec Baldwin movie armorer says she has 'no idea' where live rounds came from


The armorer on the Alec Baldwin movie Rust is speaking out a week after the fatal shooting on set that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the movie's armorer, released a statement from her lawyers saying she is "devastated and completely beside herself over the events that have transpired." The attorneys said the film set "would never have been compromised if live ammo were not introduced" but that she has "no idea where the live rounds came from."
Hutchins was killed, and director Joel Souza was injured, after Baldwin discharged a gun during rehearsal of a scene, and officials say they have recovered the lead projectile that was fired. Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza also said Gutierrez-Reed, assistant director David Halls, and Baldwin are the three people who handled the gun before the shooting and that they are the focus of the investigation. Halls admitted to investigators he failed to thoroughly check the gun.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Gutierrez-Reed's statement criticized the Rust production for being "unsafe due to various factors, including lack of safety meetings," alleging 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 attorneys also said it was difficult for her to "focus on her job as an armorer" because she was hired for two positions.
Gutierrez-Reed through her attorneys also responded to reports that crew members used the gun that killed Hutchins earlier that day for target practice. "She never witnessed anyone shoot live rounds with these guns nor would she permit that," her lawyers said. "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."
Mendoza told Today this week investigators are still trying to determine who brought live rounds, noting he doesn't know why they would be on the set in the first place.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
5 Post Office-approved cartoons about mail-in voting
Cartoons Artists take on reverse logic, Putin's election advice, and more
-
The battle of the weight-loss drugs
Talking Point Can Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly regain their former stock market glory? A lot is riding on next year's pills
-
Sudoku medium: August 24, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play