Attorney in charge of 'Rust' probe says she knows who loaded the gun

‘I know who loaded that gun’: DA investigating Halyna Hutchins’ death dismisses claims there was ‘sabotage’ and says ‘there were so many levels of failure on the set’ of Rust

• Mary Carmack-Altwies said there were ‘so many levels of failures’ on set of ‘Rust’ that led to the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins
• The District Attorney has said she knows who loaded the gun  
• She added that there were additional live rounds found on set and refuted claims that the shooting was caused by sabotage 
• Hutchins was shot when a gun held by actor Alec Baldwin went off during filming

The District Attorney in charge of the investigation into the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins on the film set of ‘Rust’ has said she knows who loaded the gun. 

Mary Carmack-Altwies told Good Morning America there were ‘so many levels of failures’ on the set before Hutchins was accidentally shot and killed by actor Alec Baldwin, 63, on October 21.

Authorities have been probing how a suspected live round came to be in the firearm, which had been declared safe by an assistant director. And asked if she knew who had loaded the fatal shot, Carmack-Altwies said ‘yes’.

The DA added that investigators found additional live rounds on set, but could not specify how many because the investigation was ongoing. 

‘We still don’t know how they got on the set and how they got there I think will be one of the most important factors going into a charging decision,’ Atlwies said.  

‘It’s probably more important to focus on what led up to the shooting because the moment of the shooting, we know that at least Mr. Baldwin had no idea that the gun was loaded, so it’s more how did that gun get loaded, what levels of failure happened and were those levels of failure criminal?’ 

She also refuted claims made by the attorney of the film’s armorer who suggested the weapon could have been intentionally loaded with live ammo.

‘Defense attorneys have come up with conspiracy theories and used the word ‘sabotage.’ We do not have proof,’ Atlwies said. 

Mary Carmack-Altwies, the District Attorney in charge of the investigation, said there were ‘so many levels of failures’ on the set before Hutchins’ death

Actor Alec Baldwin, 63, accidentally shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins when a gun he was holding went off during filming for the Western film Rust in New Mexico last month

Alec Baldwin was spotted dining in New York with wife Hilaria on Sunday evening – weeks after the couple escaped to Vermont with their six children 

Authorities have been scouring the set of the film as they investigate how a live round came to be in the firearm

The gun was supplied by the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and checked by the assistant director David Halls, who told Baldwin it was a ‘cold gun,’ meaning it had blanks, when he pointed it at Hutchins, 42, and fired while rehearsing a scene.

Gutierrez-Reed’s attorney, Jason Bowles, has claimed that the incident could have been caused by sabotage by a third party who intentionally placed live ammo in a box of blanks, but Carmack-Altwies said that was unlikely.  

Following the shooting, which also left Rust director Joel Souza injured, Santa Fe county sheriff said there had been ‘some complacency’ in how weapons were handled.   

The set has been shut down since that day on October 21, as authorities probe the scene of the incident. Baldwin himself has said it is unlikely the low-budget movie will ever be completed.

Last week Baldwin, who also served as a producer for the film, shared a post from a crew member of Rust dismissing concerns about safety on the set of the film. 

In the weeks since the shooting, several former crew members have spoken out about the unsafe environment on the set.

Lane Luper, who served as the film’s A-camera first assistant, said he quit one day before the fatal shooting because employees were being overworked, COVID-safety was not being enforced properly and gun safety was poor.

‘I think with Rust, it was the perfect storm of the armorer, the assistant director, the culture that was on set, the rushing. It was everything,’ he told Good Morning America about the events that led up to the fatal shooting.

‘It wasn’t just one individual. Everything had to fall into place for this one-in-a-trillion thing to happen.’

He then disputed the producers’ claim that safety was a top priority on set, saying, ‘I only personally remember two safety meetings that involved the entire crew.’

The gun Baldwin used to shoot Hutchins supplied by the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed (pictured)

The set of the film has been shut down since the fatal shooting

Luper ultimately accused the film’s production of breaking the cardinal rule of having guns on set, which he said was, ‘There shall never be live rounds anywhere on a studio lot, or stage or set.’ 

He also choked up when describing the late Halyna Hutchins, saying ‘She genuinely was something special.’

In his letter of resignation, Luper said there had been two accidental weapon discharges on set and one accidental sound-effects explosion that went off around the crew. 

‘There have been NO explanations as to what to expect for these shots. When anyone from production is asked we are usually met with the same answers about not having enough time to complete the day if we rehearse or that ‘this is a 21 day shoot,” Luper wrote in the letter.

He added that the crew grew exhausted of long commutes from the set to their lodging, which for some more than two hours away.

‘In my 10 years as a camera assistant I’ve never worked on a show that cares so little for the safety of its crew,’ Luper said.

‘What the f**k just happened?’ Baldwin reportedly asked cast and crew members after the shot went off, and Hutchins suddenly stumbled back into head electrician Serge Svetnoy’s arms

Sources tell the Los Angeles Times that they never saw Kenney at the New Mexico movie set

Luper also told Sky News he decided to speak out because he wanted to make clear that, in his opinion, Hutchins’s death was caused by cutting costs and cutting corners.

‘Halyna’s death was so preventable by simply following industry safety rules that had been in place for literally decades,’ he said, adding: ‘I have never felt more unsafe on set or off set.

‘I’ve never felt I was more in danger of dying on the set or on the drive home, I was so exhausted.’

He said the production team put potential profit above the safety and welfare of the crew, noting: ‘The crew themselves worked very hard, but I don’t think they were necessarily respected by the producers.

‘This set was unsafe simply because they didn’t have the wherewithal to follow safety rules that we have in this industry.’

Luper added that there ‘were no rehearsals, there were no safety meetings to explain what the next shot was, which is also a requirement every time you use firearms.’

In a statement to Sky News, a spokesperson for the producers hit back at his claims, saying: ‘Mr. Luper’s allegations around budget and safety are patently false, which is not surprising considering his job was to be a camera operator, and he had absolutely nothing to do with it or knowledge of safety protocols or budgets.

‘As we continue to cooperate with all investigations, we are limited in what we can say,’ the spokesperson continued. ‘However, safety is always the number one priority.

Baldwin has pushed back at critics who claimed the working conditions on the set were unsafe

Last week, Baldwin fired back at the claims that the working conditions on the set were unsafe, though, sharing a social media post from one crew member slamming her coworkers for painting a ‘blatantly false’ picture of the set as ‘chaotic and unsafe’.

Baldwin shared a screenshot of the post written by costume designer Terese Magpale Davis to his Instagram account with the caption: ‘Read this.’

‘I am so sick of this narrative,’ Davis wrote in her post. ‘I worked on this movie. The story being spun of us being overworked and surrounded by unsafe, chaotic conditions is bull***t.’

Davis’ post refuted many of the complaints of crew members – including that they routinely worked more than 12-hour days.

‘We never worked more than a 12.5 hour shoot day. That was once,’ Davis wrote.

‘Most days were under 12. The day Halyna died we had come off of a 12 hour turnaround after an 11 hour shoot day. We had (including camera) gotten off by 6:30pm.’

Davis continued, sharing that the fatal shooting that occurred on set will haunt her for a long time. She notes that she is angry at Dave Hall, the assistant director who handed Baldwin the gun, but would not accuse him of not caring about safety.

‘I am heartbroken and furious,’ she wrote. ‘I will never get the sound of that gunshot or my director’s screams out of my head as a result.’

‘My friend is dead. Am I angry at him? Yes. But I won’t jump on the bandwagon and pretend that he was uncaring about our safety the whole way through.’

Baldwin had remained silent about the incident on Rust prior to sharing the post.  

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