A state judge in New Mexico authorized on Tuesday a search warrant that will allow investigators to search an Albuquerque prop store where some of the rounds used in the set of the movie "Rust" were found before Alec Baldwin's accidental fatal shooting of a crew member.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office provided the search warrant that detailed how the movie armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, said in an interview with law enforcement that she or prop master Sarah Zachry had gone to pick up ammo for the film from an individual named Seth Kenney at PDQ Arm and Prop.
Rust Gun Incident
Authorities were considering two possibilities on how live ammunition was mixed with the supply on set and in the gun that the actor held and used. The incident resulted in the death of the director of photography Halyna Hutchins.
Reed's father, Thell Reed, who is also an industry veteran, told detectives during an interview earlier this month that he gave Kenney an "ammo can" that had live rounds used for training on a different film this year. He said that the can was still believed to have been in Kenney's possession when the Rust team went to get the ammunition, said an affidavit released on Tuesday, CNN reported.
Authorities revealed that they have not ruled out criminal charges in the case after Baldwin accidentally shot 42-year-old Hutchins, who later died because of her injuries, and severely wounded 48-year-old Director Joel Souza. The incident occurred on Oct. 21 and involved a prop gun that was supposed to have contained only blanks.
Investigators searched the prop truck on Oct. 27 after discovering "additional ammunition collected of which some are suspect live ammunition." The sheriff wrote that Kenney then unloaded the car.
During questioning, Kenney told police that the ammo included "dummy rounds and blanks" that he got from manufacturer Starline Brass, which only sold bullet components and not live rounds. Despite his statements, the deadly round fired from Baldwin's gun had the Starline Brass logo, and Kenney later said that it may have been because he received "reloaded ammunition" from a friend. Reloaded ammunition is real ammo made from the harmless components, said police, the New York Post reported.
Misplaced Live Ammunition
Investigators are focusing on the question of how a live bullet made its way through the set and into Alec Baldwin's prop gun. The incident has resulted in two crew members filing civil lawsuits over the fatal shooting, claiming negligence on the part of the producers and others who were supposed to keep the set safe for the crew.
After the shooting incident, Baldwin said he was completely heartbroken for what happened and said he was cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation. Additionally, Productions, which is the production company of the movie Rust, said it was conducting its independent investigation into the incident, Reuters reported.
The actor also hired a former assistant U.S. attorney to represent him in the case, based on a report released last week. Baldwin was also a producer on the film and is subject to a number of lawsuits related to the shooting accident.
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