According to her attorneys, the armorer on the movie set where actor Alec Baldwin fatally shot a cameraman last week has “no idea” where any live ammo came from.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s attorneys said in a statement on Thursday that she is “devastated and completely beside herself over the events that have transpired.”

Alec Baldwin leans over in the parking lot outside the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s offices after being questioned on the shooting.
Jim Weber / The New Mexican

The director of photography, Halyna Hutchins, died on the site last week, while the director, Joel Souza, was wounded.

“Hannah’s number one priority on set is safety,” said attorneys Jason Bowles and Robert Gorence in a statement issued late tonight. “Ultimately this set would never have been compromised if live ammo were not introduced. Hannah has no idea where the live rounds came from.”

“Hannah and the prop master gained control over the guns and she never witnessed anyone shoot live rounds with these guns and nor would she permit that. They were locked up every night and at lunch and there’s no way a single one of them was unaccounted for or being shot at by crew members.

“Hannah still, to this day, has never had an accidental discharge.

Gutierrez Reed also stated that she was employed for two jobs on the film, which left her unprepared to handle either job correctly and caused conflict among her production team and department.

Actor Alec Baldwin seen outside the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s office after he was interviewed by police
JIM WEBER/THE NEW MEXICAN

“She fought for training, days to maintain weapons and proper time to prepare for gunfire but ultimately was overruled by production and her department. The whole production set became unsafe due to various factors, including lack of safety meetings.”

The Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe County, where the filming took place, is a popular location for Western-style films.

According to court filings, Assistant Director Dave Halls shouted “cold gun” as he gave the rifle to Mr Baldwin to signal to the film crew that the weapon was devoid of live ammunition. According to a search warrant document, Mr Halls told officials that he should have been more diligent when testing the rifle after seeing a discrepancy in the bullets.

Authorities think the lead bullet retrieved from Souza’s shoulder by medics is the same bullet that struck and killed Hutchins and was fired from the gun discharged by Baldwin on the New Mexico set last Thursday. The bullet in issue, along with 500 blanks, dummy rounds, and suspected live rounds, is one of the most important pieces of evidence gathered by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department as part of an ongoing investigation. There have been no charges filed as of yet.