According to testimony from the ammunition supplier at the “Rust” shooting trial, he gave fake ammunition for the movie but used real ammunition for the TV show.
s [A] = [‘Sam Elliott’, ‘Shane Johnson’, ‘Jill Wagner’]
On Monday, a supplier of ammunition testified in the trial for the “Rust” shooting that he only supplied dummy rounds without any live ammunition to the Western movie, which featured actors Sam Elliott, Shane Johnson, and Jill Wagner.Alec Baldwin
In 2021, a cinematographer was killed by gunfire, even though they were also handling live ammunition from another production.
Seth Kenney, a supplier of firearm and ammunition for films based in Albuquerque, testified at the trial of “Rust” movie armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. Gutierrez-Reed is facing charges of involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence in connection to the death of a cinematographer.Halyna Hutchins.
Kenney testified to the jury that he polished and prepared ammunition for use in “Rust,” which had originally been provided for a production in Texas. On October 12, 2021, he gave a box containing 50 imitation dummy rounds without gunpowder to the props supervisor for “Rust.”
Real bullets were found on the set of “Rust,” including one that came from Baldwin’s gun. The use of live ammunition is strictly forbidden on film sets according to industry and union regulations.
The prosecutors allege that Gutierrez-Reed was responsible for unintentionally bringing live bullets onto the set and disregarded standard safety procedures for handling weapons. She has entered a plea of not guilty.
The photo credit for the accompanying image belongs to Gabriela Campos from The New Mexican, taken during a pool event and shared by Reuters.
The defense lawyers argue that their client is being unjustly portrayed and blamed for issues that are not within her power, such as Baldwin’s management of the weapons. On Monday, they emphasized evidence of Kenney’s disorganized workspace, lack of written record-keeping, and foggy memory regarding when he obtained live ammunition for a different project.
indicted by a grand jury
In July, a trial is set for a man who entered a plea of not guilty for an involuntary manslaughter offense related to the deadly shooting of Hutchins that occurred last month.
During a rehearsal in Santa Fe, Baldwin aimed the gun at Hutchins and it accidentally fired, causing her death and injuring director Joel Souza.
Last week, Souza gave testimony about the shock and pain he experienced when a bullet struck Hutchins and became lodged in his shoulder.
Souza recalled her initial thought of whether she had been startled by it, followed by the realization of the blood on her back.
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The jurors have also been informed by the director’s first assistant.David Halls
Hutchins has entered a plea of no contest for the charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon. During the tumultuous events of the shooting, Halls inquired about Hutchins’ well-being.
“She exclaimed, ‘My legs are numb,'” Halls reported.
During Monday’s statement, Kenney stated that he gave Sarah Zachry, the props master for “Rust” who was in charge of handling weapons and ammunition for the show, with simulated ammunition taken from a prop storage vehicle on the Texas set of “1883.”
“Kari Morrissey, the prosecutor, inquired whether Kenney had provided Sarah Zachry with live ammunition.” Kenney replied with a simple “No.”
Addressing further inquiries, Kenney stated on Monday that he did not possess any ammunition resembling the live rounds that were discovered on the “Rust” set.
Kenney admitted that he kept real ammunition for a shooting exercise with actors on the set of “1883,” which was held at a private ranch owned by the show’s creator.Taylor Sheridan.
Kenney reported that the live ammunition used during the shooting exercise was returned to his shop and stored in a gray plastic container labeled “live rounds” in a bathroom.
The original supply of live ammunition for “1883” came from Gutierrez-Reed’s stepfather, Thell Reed, a renowned sharp shooter and consultant in Hollywood for weapons.
The sheriff’s office in Santa Fe conducted an investigation on Kenney’s supply store in Albuquerque a few weeks after the deadly shooting. They took possession of live ammunition, which was then sent to the FBI for examination and to be compared with the live rounds found on the set of “Rust.”
Defense attorney Jason Bowles has argued that Kenney wasn’t properly investigated for his role as a “Rust” supplier. Bowles on Monday highlighted the fact that the search of Kenney’s business took place about a month after the fatal shooting.
Kenney’s statement further explored his conflicts with Gutierrez-Reed regarding her work on the “Rust” production and the accidental discharge of a gun prior to the tragic incident.
Testimony Monday also delved into evidence related to a tampering charge
Gutierrez-Reed is facing a charge for allegedly giving a fellow crew member a small bag of potentially illicit substances after the shooting in order to avoid getting caught.
A member of the food services team stated that she accompanied Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer, to her hotel room the night after the shooting at the behest of a union steward. The witness shared that Gutierrez-Reed gave her a plastic bag containing white powder, which she found offensive and disposed of in a nearby garbage bin upon leaving the room.
Bowles, the defense lawyer, mentioned, “To be fair, you likely only had five seconds to examine the contents of this bag, correct?” He continued, “You may have a belief, but you cannot be certain of what was inside that bag.”
Source: cbsnews.com