Lawyer: Rust arms expert was unaware of "live ammunition" (Halina Hutchins-Alec Baldwin)
The expert on weapons certified in the movie "Rust" stated that she was not at all aware of the presence of "live bullets" in the pistol that killed a cinematographer during the filming of this work starring Alec Baldwin.
This incident would not have occurred, “without inserting live ammunition” into the gun used on the set, Hana Gutierrez Reid’s lawyers said in a statement, denying any responsibility for their client in the death of Halina Hutchins last week in the southwestern state of New Mexico.
They asserted that "they have no idea where these live ammunition come from."
The website "The Wrap", which specializes in celebrity news, revealed, quoting sources familiar with the filming process, that some members of the team working on the film used the pistol to fire live bullets at beer bottles hours before the incident.
On film sets, weapon experts are responsible for the weapons used in the shooting scenes, and must constantly ensure that they do not pose a threat to the team. Also, firearms should be withdrawn from circulation when they are no longer needed.
Hana Gutierrez Reid, 24, "did not see anyone firing live ammunition from these weapons. She would not have allowed that,” according to a statement from the law firm, Jason Balls, stressing that “the weapons were kept in a secure, locked place every night and during breaks.”
The expert, who has only one long film in her credit before "Rust", revealed that "her services were used to supervise two locations in the course of filming this film, which made her work difficult."
She said that she asked the production staff to give her more time to prepare the weapons and prepare for the shooting scenes, but her requests were denied.
Defense agents said that "the filming location has become risky due to several factors, including the failure to hold security meetings, which is not Hana's responsibility."
"I think there was an atmosphere of recklessness on this set and that there are questions that the sector (the cinema) and perhaps the state (New Mexico) need to find answers to," said Adan Mendoza, the Santa Fe County Sheriff, who is overseeing the investigation.
During that incident, Helena Hutchins was shot in the chest by Alec Baldwin from a weapon used in the movie "Rust," according to a preliminary investigation report seen by AFP. She was flown by helicopter to a hospital in New Mexico, where she was pronounced dead. Director Joel Sousa, who sustained a shoulder injury in the incident, is in the process of recovering.
The tragedy occurred at Bonanza Creek Ranch, a location widely used for filming Western films, and police cordoned off it and prevented entry.
“Rust” is a Western film written and directed by Joel Sousa and starring Alec Baldwin, who also co-produces the work and plays the role of an outlaw named Harland Rust who comes to the rescue of his 13-year-old grandson who has been convicted He was sentenced to death by hanging for murder.
