Sabotage could be behind tragedy on Baldwin movie set, lawyer says
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[November 04, 2021]
By Lisa Richwine
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -A lawyer for the
armorer who oversaw weapons used on the "Rust" movie set suggested on
Wednesday that someone deliberately put a live round into the gun used
by Alec Baldwin when he accidentally shot dead a cinematographer.
Jason Bowles said his client, Hannah Gutierrez, had pulled ammunition
from a box that she believed contained only dummy rounds that were
incapable of firing. He said he thought it was possible that someone
purposely placed real bullets, which look similar to dummies, in the
box.
"We're afraid that could have been what happened here, that somebody
intended to sabotage this set with a live round intentionally placed in
a box of dummies," Bowles said on ABC television's "Good Morning
America."
"We're not saying anybody had any intent there was going to be a tragedy
of homicide," he added, "but they wanted to do something to cause a
safety incident on set. That's what we believe happened."
A spokeswoman for producers Rust Movie Productions had no comment on
Bowles' remarks. The company has said it is investigating the incident
and had received no official complaints about safety on the set in Santa
Fe, New Mexico.
Authorities are investigating the matter and no charges have been filed
against anyone involved.
"Never in a million years did Hannah think that live rounds could have
been in the 'dummy' round box," Bowles said in a statement later on
Wednesday.
Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed on Oct. 21 when a gun Baldwin
was holding released a live bullet, police said. Baldwin had been told
by assistant director Dave Halls that the gun was "cold", an industry
term meaning it is safe to use.
Bowles said Gutierrez had checked the gun before
giving it to Halls. She spun the cylinder and showed Halls each of the
rounds, which she believed were six dummy rounds, he said. Halls then
took the gun into the church where Baldwin was rehearsing a scene.
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Actor Alec Baldwin gestures before walking on the red carpet during
the commemoration of the Elton John AIDS Foundation 25th year fall
gala at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, in
New York, U.S. November 7, 2017. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
He said that Gutierrez took her job seriously, had given Baldwin and
other actors on the film firearms training, and "did everything in
her power to ensure a safe set."
Before the shooting, camera operators had quit the film to protest
against what they said were long hours and other objectionable
working conditions, authorities in Santa Fe have said.
Asked who would intentionally place live ammunition with dummy
rounds, Bowles said on NBC's "Today" show that he believed it could
be a person who wanted "to prove a point, to say that they're
disgruntled, they're unhappy".
"And we know that people had already walked off the set the day
before," he said.
Baldwin, who was also a producer on the film, has said he is
heartbroken and is cooperating with authorities. On Tuesday, he
shared a message on social media from a crew member who disputed
reports of chaos and a lax attitude toward safety on the set.
An attorney for Halls did not immediately respond to a request for
comment on Wednesday.
(Reporting by Lisa RichwineEditing by Mark Heinrich, Robert Birsel)
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