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Author: Matthew Reisen/Journal Staff Writer Published: Wednesday, October 27, 2021 at 9:58 AM Update: Wednesday, October 27, 2021 at 10:52 PM

Santa Fe-Assistant director David Hols and armorer Hanna Gutierrez have a routine on the set of "Rust". Hols told the delegates that he would check the barrel for obstructions, Gutierrez would rotate the cylinder to check whether the revolver had ammunition, and if it was safe, he would say "cold gun is present."

But during a rehearsal in the old church on October 21, Hols could not remember if Gutierrez turned the cylinder and said that he did not check Pietta Long Colt before handing it to actor Alec Baldwin. 45 All bullets in the revolver, according to court documents. Hols told the representative that, in hindsight, he should check.

Authorities said that after Baldwin pulled the trigger, a lead bullet killed photographer Halina Hutchins and wounded director Joel Suza on the set of Bonanza Creek Ranch outside Santa Fe. .

After inspecting the gun, Hols told the delegates that he saw four "fake" shells with holes on the sides and the fifth shell of the live ammunition.

"It was not intentional," Hols told the representative.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adam Mendoza said at a news conference on Wednesday morning that investigators found the projectile embedded in Soza's shoulder. He said investigators also found hundreds of ammunition on the set, including fake, empty and "live ammunition."

Mendoza said investigators believed that the bullet fired by Baldwin was real and was the only live ammunition in the gun.

"We think this is live ammunition-bullets-because it is indeed fired from a weapon," he said at a press conference where dozens of reporters and photographers from all over the world attended the press conference, many of them Yelling at each other, trying to get answers to questions.

Mendoza said the recovered projectiles — along with the other ammunition and three guns found — will be sent to the FBI crime laboratory for analysis. Two of the guns, including a plastic gun, are believed to be unusable.

He said it is too early to comment on the possible allegations of the investigation.

Mendoza said: “If the Sheriff’s Office determines that a crime has occurred during our investigation and there is a possible cause, it will make an arrest or arrest and file charges.” He said Gutierrez, Hols and Baldwin are investigating Personnel cooperation.

The press conference and the third search warrant filed in the Santa Fe District Court on Wednesday revealed the deadly shooting that has made international headlines. They revealed the concerns of the "Rust" actors and staff about the previous gun accidents and the safety of the studio that led to the incident.

Mendoza will not comment on how live ammunition entered the set.

"We will try to determine how this happened and whether they should know that there is live ammunition in that gun," he said.

Mendoza did not directly respond to reports that the guns involved in the fatal shooting were used for target practice hours before the incident, only that investigators will investigate these claims.

"I think the industry has a safety record recently," he said. "I think this scenario is a bit complacent. I think there are some security issues that need to be resolved by the industry, and possibly New Mexico."

Mary Carmack-Alteves, the Attorney for the First Judicial District, said her office will ensure that the investigation is conducted "to the highest standards."

"I will not make decisions rashly, nor will I rush to make judgments. I rely on the facts supported by evidence (and) cooperation and credible witnesses," she said. "I cannot emphasize the importance of allowing the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office to continue the quality investigation."

When asked whether Baldwin himself would face charges, Carmack-Altwies said: "I don’t comment on the charges, whether they will be sued, or about who-we cannot answer this question-currently no one is excluded.. "

According to the affidavit of search warrant filed in the Santa Fe District Court:

The delegates responded to the filming scene at about 1:50 pm and were told that two people were accidentally shot in an old church. The authorities learned that the actors were rehearsing and Baldwin was practicing drawing on the wooden bench.

Hols grabbed one of the three prop guns Gutierrez had put on the cart, yelled "cold gun", and handed it to Baldwin. Mendoza said on Wednesday that representatives believed that the other two guns on the trolley were not working properly, one of which was made of plastic.

When Baldwin pulled the trigger, Hutchins was hit in the chest and Suza was hit in the shoulder. Gutierrez told the representative that she checked the ammunition earlier in the day to make sure they were "dummy" and not "hot bombs."

She said that when the staff had lunch, the gun was placed in a safe, but the ammunition was not fixed on the set. Gutierrez told the delegates that "there has never been ammunition on site."

Hols told the representative that after the shooting, he picked up the gun and told Gutierrez to open it so that he could see what was inside. He said he saw four "fake" casings with holes on the sides and one casing without holes.

"He suggested that there is no'cap' for this round, just a shell," the affidavit said.

Souza told the representative that he was not sure whether he checked the guns again after they returned from lunch. He said that no one was inspected for live ammunition at the scene, but there should be no live ammunition “in any case, near or around the scene”.

"After a preliminary inspection of the collected evidence, it appears that live ammunition was collected from the scene," the affidavit stated.

'I keep seeing it spiraling'

A crew member said that even before the main filming of Rust began, there were some problems.

"The daily schedule is never given in advance," she said. "This is a cluster (expletive), and I keep seeing it spiraling up."

The woman, who did not want to be named, was worried that future productions might not hire her. She said the inexperience of the producers of "Rust" is reflected in daily breakdowns.

"It was sloppy from the beginning," she said.

After the shooting started, the problem persisted.

Another crew member told the Wall Street Journal that he was worried about the production long before the fatal incident happened. He said the producers are cutting corners, hiring outsiders and rushing to shoot to save money on making low-cost movies.

Union members also requested anonymity. He said that Gutierrez did not hold a security meeting, nor did he announce whether the guns were loaded, whether they were plastic or genuine. He said that she would leave guns and ammunition on the trolley unattended, and often pointed the gun at people.

"Automatically, you are like'this person is green...they have no experience'," he said.

A few days before the filming, crew members said that a gun rang out from Baldwin's stand-in, frightening everyone. He said that to make matters worse, Gutierrez "wore two hats" on the set, because she was not only an armorer, but also a prop assistant.

"We are educated in the film industry-'You stay in your driveway'-that is your craft. If she does something wrong, it's none of your business," the crew said. "However, this taught me a lesson, and I will be more blunt in the future."

He said that Hols' behavior has also worried him several times.

The crew said that Hols instructed Hutchins, himself and others to enter a shaky second floor before realizing that it could not support everyone. On another occasion, he said that Halls asked them to continue filming a scene after a baby rattlesnake emerged from a nearby hole.

He said that on the day of the shooting, most of the staff gathered outside the church.

"To me, it doesn't sound like a gun. It just sounds like pop music. Like fireworks. Nothing particularly loud," the crew said.

Then there was a scream, and people outside thought that someone might have fallen. He said the script supervisor ran out of the church yelling and tried to call 911.

The crew said that everyone was panicked because no one knew where to go or what to do. Some people shouted to return to base camp. Others said it would hinder ambulances and police cars.

The crew said that in the chaos, he saw Hols and Gutierrez outside the church, and both of them were in tears.

"This is one of them. If you talk too much, you will worry about your job security. Then if you don't say anything, people will be hurt," he said. "It's a pity that I didn't say anything."

Journal art editor Adrian Gomez contributed to this report.

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