Head armorer is responsible for supervising all weapons used in a film production. DAVID MCNEW/AFP via Getty Images
According to production sources, the head armorer for "Rust," was "bit careless" when it came to guns, according The Daily Beast.
The head armorer gave a gun to a child actor on the set of her last production, but he didn't properly check it.
New Mexico Occupational Health and Safety Bureau is investigating the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins.
Alec Baldwin's film, "Rust," had a head armorer who was "bit careless" about guns. According to The Daily Beast, he once gave a weapon without checking it thoroughly to a child actress.
Two production sources, who were both part of Hannah Gutierrez–Reed's film "The Old Way", starring Clint Howard & Nicolas Cage, stated that filming was temporarily halted after an incident with Ryan Kiera Armstrong, a child actress.
The Daily Beast reported Gutierrez-Reed was the armorer who fired the prop gun that killed Baldwin, 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Houtchins. She allegedly placed a weapon on the ground, in an area with pebbles. According to media outlets, Gutierrez-Reed handed the weapon to the 11-year old girl without checking for obstructions in the barrel.
According to two sources, crew members called for a halt in filming until Gutierrez Reed had properly checked the firearm.
"She was reloading her gun on the ground, between pebbles and other things. We didn't see her inspect it. According to The Daily Beast, one source claimed that they didn't know whether something had got into the barrel.
According to The Daily Beast, a source told them that she was "a bit careless" with guns and would sometimes wave it around. "There were times when she loaded the blanks in unsafe ways.
Insider reported that Gutierrez-Reed stated last month that she was concerned about her level of experience. The 24-year old told a podcast she nearly turned down her job at "The Old Way", her first job as head armourer, because she was not sure if it was right for her.
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Gutierrez-Reed could not be reached for comment.
This aerial photo depicts the Bonanza Creek Ranch, Santa Fe, N.M. on Saturday, October 23, 2021. Officials said that Alec Baldwin, an actor, fired a gun at the ranch's set of a Western film being shot on Thursday, October 21. He killed the cinematographer. Jae C. Hong/AP Photo
According to reports, crew members were concerned about safety on the set of Rust, her second film as a head-gun handler before the incident that injured Joel Souza and killed Hutchins.
According to the Los Angeles Times, crew members pointed out previous accidental prop-gun discharges that occurred over the weekend preceding the fatal shooting.
Deadline reports that the New Mexico Occupational Health and Safety Bureau is currently investigating the incident and may impose civil penalties.
Insider has the original article.
