London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 30, 2025

"This **** Supposed To Check Guns": Probe Widens In Alec Baldwin Shooting

"This **** Supposed To Check Guns": Probe Widens In Alec Baldwin Shooting

Ukraine-born cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, was struck in the upper body and died shortly after the incident Thursday in New Mexico, while director Joel Souza, 48, who was standing behind her as they lined up a shot, was wounded and hospitalized, then released.
The police investigation into a fatal shooting with a prop gun fired by actor Alec Baldwin on a film set was focusing Saturday on the specialist in charge of the weapon and the assistant director who handed it to Baldwin.

Ukraine-born cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, was struck in the upper body and died shortly after the incident Thursday in New Mexico, while director Joel Souza, 48, who was standing behind her as they lined up a shot, was wounded and hospitalized, then released.

Police interviewed a visibly distraught Baldwin, who willingly cooperated, but have pressed no charges.

The incident stunned many in Hollywood and beyond, sparking intense speculation about how such an accident could have occurred despite elaborate gun-safety protocols for film sets.

The gun, which was supposed to be loaded with a blank charge, instead had a single live round, according to the affidavit submitted by the sheriff's office to obtain a search warrant, local media reported.

The affidavit said that Assistant Director Dave Halls, identified as the man who handed the gun to Baldwin during a rehearsal, called out "cold gun" as he did so -- industry code to indicate the weapon had only a blank charge. The court document said Halls was unaware the gun was actually loaded.

Police are focusing intently on the sequence of events that could have allowed a live round to be introduced to the set of the film, a 19th-century Western called "Rust."

A 911 call to police immediately after the shooting conveyed the shock and anger felt on the set.

"We've had two people accidentally shot by a prop gun; we need help immediately," the caller tells a police dispatcher.

"Was it loaded with a real bullet?" the dispatcher asks.

"I don't -- I can't tell you that," the caller replies. "And this (expletive) AD ... this mother (expletive) -- he's supposed to check the guns, he's responsible for what happens on the set."

Detailed gun safety guidelines from the Actors' Equity Association group specify that "all loading of firearms must be done by the property master, armorer or experienced persons working under their direct supervision."

The guidelines state: "Before each use, make sure the gun has been test-fired off stage and then ask to test fire it yourself. Watch the prop master check the cylinders and barrel to be sure no foreign object or dummy bullet has become lodged inside."

Baldwin, one of Hollywood's best-known actors, has said he was cooperating fully with the inquiry. He retweeted a story from trade journal Variety headlined "Alec Baldwin Was Told Prop Gun Was Safe Before Fatal Shooting, Affidavit Says."

The gun used, and two others, were provided by the film's weapons master, or armorer, who has been identified as 24-year-old Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the daughter of longtime film-industry armorer Thell Reed.

In a September podcast, the young Gutierrez-Reed said she had some trepidation about serving as lead armorer for the first time for the previous movie she worked on, "The Old Way," another Western.

"I almost didn't take the job 'cause I wasn't sure if I was ready," she said on the "Voices of the West" podcast, before adding, "But doing it, like, it went really smoothly."

Halls and Gutierrez-Reed could not immediately be reached for comment.

District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said in a statement Friday that the case is in its preliminary stages, adding, "At this time, we do not know if charges will be filed."

The Los Angeles Times, citing anonymous sources, reported that there had been at least three prop gun misfires prior to the fatal accident, and some crew members had protested working conditions.

It said at least one camera operator had messaged a production manager, saying, "We've now had 3 accidental discharges. This is super unsafe."

Rust Movie Productions said in a statement that it had not been made aware of any "official complaints" but would "continue to cooperate with the Santa Fe authorities."

It said it was also conducting an internal review.

"Rust," for which Baldwin is a co-producer, was being filmed in the foothills of northern New Mexico on sprawling Bonanza Creek Ranch, which has been used as the setting for scores of movies.

Baldwin stars as Harland Rust, an outlaw who goes on the run with his grandson after the latter is convicted of murder following an accidental killing.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
Explosive Email Shows Sarah Ferguson Begged Forgiveness from Jeffrey Epstein After Taking His Money
×