Alec Baldwin fired prop gun, killing 1 on movie set, Oct 2021 #3

[jjenny]

We haven’t heard from Sarah the prop master yet. Iirc HGR said that Sarah also handled the guns. I want to know who took the gun to the tray and loaded it. Was it already loaded in the safe?

My understanding is that prop masters don't load guns, that's what armorers are for. HGR claims she was the one who checked the gun for dummies that morning.

 

[Betty P]

Not all dummies have BB's that rattle. Dummies have different ways to distinguish them from real bullets. I still don't get why HGR claims she didn't know there was live ammon on the set. It's her job to know what kind of ammo is on the set. Yet she claims she wasn't even aware. What gives?

JMO, she's just that inexperienced. She doesn't even know that it's her job to make sure there's no live ammo on the set. She probably doesn't even know how to go about doing that. I get the impression she's very poorly trained and has very little idea of how the job is done. She must have gotten the job because of her father's reputation and because she was willing to be a scab.

 

[Marysmith]

JMO, she's just that inexperienced. She doesn't even know that it's her job to make sure there's no live ammo on the set. She probably doesn't even know how to go about doing that. I get the impression she's very poorly trained and has very little idea of how the job is done. She must have gotten the job because of her father's reputation and because she was willing to be a scab.

She was hired from the beginning so she wasn’t a scab.

 

[Luna20]

My understanding is that prop masters don't load guns, that's what armorers are for. HGR claims she was the one who checked the gun for dummies that morning.

So she won’t be able to pass that off to the prop master either then which makes sense.

 

[katydid23]

We haven’t heard from Sarah the prop master yet. Iirc HGR said that Sarah also handled the guns. I want to know who took the gun to the tray and loaded it. Was it already loaded in the safe?

That's a good question. Here is all I have found so far:

The gun Baldwin used was one of three that the armorer had placed on a cart outside the building where a scene was being rehearsed, according to court records.


Assistant director David Halls, who handed the gun to Baldwin before the shooting, said Gutierrez Reed typically opened the hatch of the gun and spun the drum, though he couldn’t recall if she did that before the shooting. He said he only remembered seeing three rounds in the gun, according to the warrant.

After the shooting, Halls took the gun to Gutierrez and said he saw five rounds in the gun, at least four of them were dummy rounds indicated by a hole on the side and a cap on the round. Halls said there was also a casing in the gun that did not have the cap and did not have the hole indicating it was a dummy, the warrant said.
Sheriff: Movie set showed 'some complacency' with weapons

So Gutierrez placed the weapons onto the cart, to be used in the rehearsal scene. I would think, as the armourist and the one person responsible for each weapon, she would have inspected each one closely immediately before she placed them on that cart/

If she didn't do so, and she took the word of the prop master or someone else, it is still on her, as the armourisrt, to shoulder the blame. That is her sole responsibility at the end of the day.

 

[Betty P]

She was hired from the beginning so she wasn’t a scab.

I thought I heard the previous armorer walked off. No? She was still non-union, though.

 

[Luna20]

Here is what I was referring to:
Sheriff: Movie set showed 'some complacency' with weapons

The armorer on the Baldwin film, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, said she checked dummy bullets on the day of the shooting to ensure that none were “hot” rounds. She also told a detective that while the guns used for filming were locked up during a crew lunch break, ammunition was left on a cart unsecured, according to a search warrant released Wednesday ahead of the news conference.

Gutierrez Reed told a detective that no live ammo was ever kept on the set.

When reached Wednesday by The Associated Press, she declined to comment. She said Monday by text message that she was looking for a lawyer.


Also:

Assistant director David Halls, who handed the gun to Baldwin before the shooting, said Gutierrez Reed typically opened the hatch of the gun and spun the drum, though he couldn’t recall if she did that before the shooting. He said he only remembered seeing three rounds in the gun, according to the warrant.

After the shooting, Halls took the gun to Gutierrez and said he saw five rounds in the gun, at least four of them were dummy rounds indicated by a hole on the side and a cap on the round. Halls said there was also a casing in the gun that did not have the cap and did not have the hole indicating it was a dummy, the warrant said.

MOST IMPORTANT:

Mike Tristano, a veteran armorer, or movie weapons specialist, was alarmed to hear that live rounds were mixed in with blanks and dummy rounds.

“I find that appalling,” Tristano said. “In over 600 films and TV shows that I’ve done, we’ve never had a live round on set.”

The shooting has baffled Hollywood professionals and prompted calls to better regulate firearms on sets or even ban them in the age of seamless computer-generated imagery. Court records say that an assistant director grabbed the gun from a cart and indicated the weapon was safe by yelling “cold gun.”

The producers are going to have to answer for why certain people were hired when it was apparent to others that there were concerns about safety practices.

 

[katydid23]

I never said the crew that walked off this film were prima donnas. I was talking about sets in general. Crew, actors, directors, gaffers, grips, make up, props, etc, etc. That's a lot of drama packed in. People walking off sets over disputes happens. I have seen it. Until this tragedy happened, they may have thought it was another day at work. And we don't even know if the crew walking off contributed to the shooting or not. Maybe so. We don't know yet.

Moo.

Maybe they thought it was just another day at work, but SEVEN crew members walked off the film that morning. And one of the issues was SAFETY protocol.

"Disputes in the production of the Western film “Rust” began almost from the start in early October and culminated with seven crew members walking off several hours before 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed.

The crew members had expressed their discontent with matters that ranged from safety procedures to their housing accommodations, according to one of those who left. He requested anonymity for fear that speaking up would hurt his prospects for future jobs. Rust Movie Productions did not answer emails Friday and Saturday seeking comment."

Film crew voiced complaints before fatal on-set shooting

Film crew voiced complaints before fatal on-set shooting

 

[Gardenista]

She was hired from the beginning so she wasn’t a scab.

I read an article yesterday or the day before that says all non-union are considered scabs.

 

[katydid23]

And then there is this:

Assistant director of Baldwin film fired after 2019 mishap
By MORGAN LEE, CEDAR ATTANASIO and HILLEL ITALIEOctober 25, 2021


SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The assistant director who handed Alec Baldwin the gun that killed a cinematographer last week had been fired from a previous job after a gun went off on a set and wounded a member of the film crew, a producer said Monday.

The disclosure emerged as producers of Baldwin’s movie officially halted filming, and court records showed that investigators seized more than two dozen items from the set on the day after the shooting.

In an email statement to The Associated Press, a producer for the movie “Freedom’s Path” confirmed that Dave Halls was fired from the 2019 production after a crew member suffered a minor injury “when a gun was unexpectedly discharged.” The producer, who asked not to be identified by name, wrote that Halls “was removed from the set immediately.” Production did not resume until Halls was gone.

His firing from “Freedom’s Path” was first reported by CNN. Halls has not returned phone calls and email messages seeking comment.
Assistant director of Baldwin film fired after 2019 mishap

 

[Luna20]

I thought I heard the previous armorer walked off. No? She was still non-union, though.

I have to check but I think another armorer passed on taking the job.

 

[Marysmith]

I thought I heard the previous armorer walked off. No? She was still non-union, though.

I thought a “scab” doesn’t mean non-union but someone who takes the place of a unionized employee on strike?

 

[Marysmith]

I read an article yesterday or the day before that says all non-union are considered scabs.

Ok. I always thought “scab” meant someone working in the place of a unionized worker on a strike.

 

[JudgeJoe]

Baldwin said he's in "constant contact" with Hutchins' husband, Matthew Hutchins, and discussed meeting with him and their 9-year-old son after the deadly shooting.

"I wouldn't know how to characterize it," Baldwin said. "The guy is overwhelmed with grief."

I find the “constant contact” most odd. I hope Hutchins’ husband has been recording all those constant calls for both the LE investigation and the civil suit. Imo.

Alec Baldwin addresses deadly film shooting, firearms on sets

 

[Luna20]

And then there is this:

Assistant director of Baldwin film fired after 2019 mishap
By MORGAN LEE, CEDAR ATTANASIO and HILLEL ITALIEOctober 25, 2021


SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The assistant director who handed Alec Baldwin the gun that killed a cinematographer last week had been fired from a previous job after a gun went off on a set and wounded a member of the film crew, a producer said Monday.

The disclosure emerged as producers of Baldwin’s movie officially halted filming, and court records showed that investigators seized more than two dozen items from the set on the day after the shooting.

In an email statement to The Associated Press, a producer for the movie “Freedom’s Path” confirmed that Dave Halls was fired from the 2019 production after a crew member suffered a minor injury “when a gun was unexpectedly discharged.” The producer, who asked not to be identified by name, wrote that Halls “was removed from the set immediately.” Production did not resume until Halls was gone.

His firing from “Freedom’s Path” was first reported by CNN. Halls has not returned phone calls and email messages seeking comment.
Assistant director of Baldwin film fired after 2019 mishap

Nicolas Cage walked off another set with HGR for safety issues.

Nicolas Cage Walked Off Different Film Set Because of 'Rust' Armorer

 

[jjenny]

JMO, she's just that inexperienced. She doesn't even know that it's her job to make sure there's no live ammo on the set. She probably doesn't even know how to go about doing that. I get the impression she's very poorly trained and has very little idea of how the job is done. She must have gotten the job because of her father's reputation and because she was willing to be a scab.

Yea, I don't think her father spend a lot of time training her, although that's what people hiring her might have believed. How does an armorer not know there are live bullets on the set? It's her job to check to make sure there is no live ammo on the set.

 

[katydid23]

HERE WE GO:

Rust’ armorer attorneys blame producers for ‘unsafe’ set
By JAKE COYLEOctober 29, 2021


Attorneys for Hannah Gutierrez Reed, who was in charge of weapons on the movie set where Alec Baldwin fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, say she doesn’t know where the live rounds found there came from, and blamed producers for unsafe working conditions.

Gutierrez Reed was the armorer on the set of “Rust.” The 24-year-old, who had worked on one previous feature film, hasn’t spoken publicly about the accident.

“Ultimately this set would never have been compromised if live ammo were not introduced,” said attorneys Jason Bowles and Robert Gorence in a statement. “Hannah has no idea where the live rounds came from. Hannah and the prop master gained control over the guns and she never witnessed anyone shoot live rounds with these guns and nor would she permit that.”

Investigators initially found 500 rounds of ammunition — a mix of blanks, dummy rounds and what appeared to be live rounds. Industry experts have said live rounds should never be on set.


'Rust' armorer attorneys blame producers for 'unsafe' set


So she is taking on the producers, including AB

 

[katydid23]

I have to check but I think another armorer passed on taking the job.

Veteran prop master Neal W. Zoromski earlier told The Los Angeles Times that he declined an offer to work on “Rust” because producers insisted that one person could serve as both assistant prop master and armorer. Zoromski said those are “two really big jobs” that couldn’t be combined. He called the production “an accident waiting to happen.


And, this is interesting:

Attorneys for Gutierrez Reed said she is “devastated and completely beside herself” over the death of Hutchins. They argued that producers on the film were cutting corners that sacrificed safety.

“Hannah was hired on two positions on this film, which made it extremely difficult to focus on her job as an armorer,” they said. “She fought for training, days to maintain weapons, and proper time to prepare for gunfire but ultimately was overruled by production and her department. The whole production set became unsafe due to various factors, including lack of safety meetings. This was not the fault of Hannah.”

'Rust' armorer attorneys blame producers for 'unsafe' set

If this is true, It all comes back to AB and the other producers for hiring Hall in spite of his bad reputation and for cutting costs in exchange for safety protocol.

 

[jjenny]

Well, she is supposed to know what ammo is on the set. Other armorers have said as much. For her to claim she had no clue live ammo was on the set is bizarre. Again, it's her job to know what ammo is on the set. I am starting to wonder if she even knew how to tell dummies from live ammo.

 

[Gardenista]

So much for privacy. Now she's giving interviews

Hilaria Baldwin fears Alec will develop PTSD after Halyna Hutchins shooting