Law enforcement officials reportedly recovered hundreds of items of evidence following the fatal shooting on a movie set involving actor Alec Baldwin.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza held a news conference Wednesday to provide more information on the investigation into the incident.
Mendoza explained officials identified two other individuals “that handled and/or inspected the loaded firearm prior to Baldwin firing the weapon.”
The two individuals, armorer Hannah Reed-Gutierrez and assistant director Dave Halls, “have been cooperative in the investigation,” according to Mendoza.
He continued, “Through the execution of search warrants, we have collected about 600 items of evidence. These include but are not limited to three firearms, approximately 500 rounds of ammunition and several pieces of clothing and accessories.”
Mendoza reported officials have also recovered what they believe to be possible additional live rounds from the set. The Santa Fe county sheriff said it is “too early, right now in the investigation, to comment on charges at this point.”
He added, “If the sheriff’s office determines, during our investigation, a crime has occurred and probable cause exists, an arrest or arrests will be made and charges will be filed.”
Watch Mendoza’s remarks below:
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza gives an update on the fatal misfire of a prop gun on the set of the Alec Baldwin film "Rust" https://t.co/2bVV09yQCq pic.twitter.com/vIktnBmPzC
— Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) October 27, 2021
Last week, Baldwin fired a prop gun on a movie set, killing one film crew member and injuring another, as IJR reported.
Director of photography Halyna Hutchins was pronounced dead at University of New Mexico Hospital and Director Joel Souza was transported to Christus St. Vincent’s Regional Medical Center.
Mary Carmack-Altwies, the district attorney in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, told The New York Times, “Everything at this point, including criminal charges, is on the table.”
According to the film’s director, Baldwin was practicing drawing his gun. Souza told investigators the actor was “sitting in a pew in a church building setting, and he was practicing a cross draw.”
An affidavit said Souza was looking over Hutchins’ shoulder “when he heard what sounded like a whip and then loud pop.”
Baldwin tweeted on Friday, “There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours.”
He added, “I’m fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred.”
