‘Rust’ armorer sues ammo provider, says he brought live rounds
The armorer on “Rust” sued a film ammunition provider Wednesday, claiming he supplied the bullet that fatally struck Halyna Hutchins on the movie set.
Hannah Gutierrez Reed claims that ammo guy Seth Kenney sent her a box labeled “dummies” that actually held a mix of dummy rounds and live bullets, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Kenney has previously denied sending any live rounds to the set, telling ABC News it was “not a possibility” that the deadly round came from him or his company, PDQ Army & Prop.
Gutierrez Reed’s suit claims the “dummies” box actually held seven live rounds and 43 dummies, according to the L.A. Times. She said ammo from that box went into the gun, which made its way to Alec Baldwin’s hands before discharging a fatal round into Hutchins’ chest.
Baldwin has claimed he did not actually pull the trigger when the gun fired on Oct. 21 on the “Rust” set at Bonanza Creek Ranch, near Santa Fe, N.M. He told ABC News that he doesn’t expect to face criminal charges.
Gutierrez Reed loaded the gun and then handed it to assistant director David Halls. According to multiple accounts, Halls announced the gun was “cold,” or not loaded with real bullets, before handing it to Baldwin.
Attorneys for Gutierrez-Reed had previously suggested, without evidence, that someone intentionally sabotaged the film set with live bullets. Santa Fe County investigators shot down that theory, and it appeared to be largely absent from the lawsuit filed Wednesday in New Mexico district court.
Instead, the lawsuit is based around a different theory, provided to police by Gutierrez Reed’s father, veteran Hollywood armorer Thell Reed.
The elder Reed said that he previously worked with Kenney on a different project that used live ammo. Thell Reed said Kenney took that ammo home when most of it went unused. He claimed that he reached out to Kenney, but Kenney told him to “write it off.” Police obtained a search warrant for PDQ Arm & Prop in Albuquerque but have not revealed what they found.
Prop master Sarah Zachry told police that ammunition on set came from three sources: Kenney, Gutierrez-Reed’s supply from a previous production and another man identified only as “Billy Ray.” Police have said they found live rounds on the set but have not publicly announced where they came from.
Gutierrez Reed’s suit against Kenney is the latest in a series of civil litigation surrounding the doomed “Rust,” which includes two lawsuits against Baldwin and the film’s other producers. No criminal charges have been filed, though the investigation is ongoing.
