Shooting of Alec Baldwin’s Film: Police Investigate Premises of Firearms Supplier About Live Ammunition on Set | US News| Local News

Authorities are looking for new leads on possible sources of live ammunition involved in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of a western in New Mexico, as they searched the premises of a supplier of guns and ammunition based in Albuquerque.

A revolver shot by the actor Alec baldwin during the production of the movie Rust on October 21 contained a live round, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.

The actor didn’t realize that a gun was loaded with live ammunition when he fired the shot that killed her.

Authorities investigating the sources of the live ammunition raided the premises of an Albuquerque-based gun and ammunition supplier on Tuesday.

Seth Kenney and his company PDQ Arm & Prop supplied ammunition and movie prop guns to the production, according to a search warrant affidavit.

According to PA, Mr. Kenney could not be independently reached for comment. A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office declined to elaborate on the details of the search warrant.

Investigators first found 500 rounds on the film set on the outskirts of Santa Fe – a mix of blank bullets, dummy bullets and what appeared to be live bullets.

Industry experts have said live rounds should never be on the set.

Investigators described “some complacency” in the way guns were handled on the Rust set.

They said it was too early to determine whether charges would be filed in independent civil lawsuits regarding responsibility in the fatal shooting.

Tuesday’s search warrant affidavit contains new details about the handling and loading of the gun that killed Ms Hutchins before it was handed over to Baldwin by a deputy warden.

In the document, investigators say the film’s gunsmith, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, loaded the gun with five dummy bullets on October 21 but struggled to add a sixth bullet before lunch break, when the gun was locked away. in a truck.

The last round was added after lunch when the weapon was cleaned, he says.

Another member of the film crew – Rust’s prop master – told investigators the ammunition was purchased from at least three sources for production.

Investigators also described conversations with Ms Gutierrez Reed’s father – sniper and movie consultant Thell Reed, who is not on the Rust attendee list.

Jason Bowles, lawyer for Ms Gutierrez Reed, called the search for evidence in Albuquerque a big step forward in determining the source of the ammunition on the set of Rust.

He said in a statement: “The sheriff’s office took a big step forward today to uncover the full truth of who put the bullets live on the Rust set, by executing a search warrant on PDQ Arm. & Prop, owned by Armorer-Mentor, Seth Kenney.

“We hope the FBI will now compare and analyze the ‘live ammunition’ seized from the set with the evidence seized in the search warrant to conclusively determine where the live ammunition came from. In line with the initial findings and concerns of our own internal investigation, which were echoed by a detailed report in the LA Times, we also hope that there will be a further investigation into the important details regarding a new ammunition box seen on the set on the day of the shooting.

“The questions of who brought the live tours to the set and why are the central issues in the case. Today’s tenure is a major step towards answering these questions and we commend the Sheriff’s Office and its lead investigator for their tireless work in finding the truth. “