The Haunting Words Rust Armorer Said After The Fatal Shooting Of Halyna Hutchins
It's been half a year since the "Rust" shooting incident that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza, but the case appears to be far from being closed.
The people involved have been pointing their fingers at each other, with actor Alec Baldwin, who was handling the gun at the time, arguing that he's not liable for the accident that occurred. Lawyers for the actor are also claiming that Baldwin is not responsible in any shape or form for what happened. "[T]wo things are clear: someone is culpable for chambering the live round that led to this horrific tragedy, and it is someone other than Baldwin," they said, per NPR.
Meanwhile, the "Rust" crew is apparently putting the blame on armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed. In a series of texts between costume designer Terese Davis and prop master Sarah Zachry, it was revealed that they wanted Reed to take responsibility. "She's gross. I'm so disugusted [sic] by her right now. She f****d up," Zachry allegedly wrote, per The Daily Beast. "She got someone killed. And rather than take responsibility and face it, she's trying to take everyone else down with her." Davis also said that Reed "didn't do her job properly" despite having "plenty of time to do so." Reed's peers clearly believe that she had a hand in what happened, and apparently, Reed herself thought so, too — at least initially.
Rust armorer initially blamed herself for the shooting
"Rust" armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed is currently suing the film's ammunition supplier for providing faulty props, per NPR, but according to new evidence, she had put the blame on herself right after the fatal incident occurred. In newly released police bodycam footage obtained by TMZ, Reed had expressed remorse, saying, "I just want to get the f*** out of here and never show my face in this industry again."
Reed also went on to say that she had caused the downfall of her own career. "I'm the only female armorer in the game and I just f****d up my whole entire career," she added, referring to herself as a "f*****g failure."
It may be too early to say what would happen to the case now that such footage had been uncovered, but per Reed's legal team, the armorer was framed for what had happened. "We are convinced that this was sabotage and Hannah is being framed," lawyer Jason Bowles said, per Variety. "We believe that the scene was tampered with as well before the police arrived."