Apr 28, 2022 6:21am PT

‘Rust’ Investigation: Where Did the Live Round Come From?

The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office released a massive trove on Monday from its ongoing investigation into the fatal shooting on the set of “Rust.” The release adds significantly to the public record of the events leading to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on Oct. 21.

But it does not answer one key question: Where did the live round come from?

Movies often use real guns, but never real bullets. But on “Rust,” a live round made its way into a Colt .45, which Alec Baldwin fired during set-up for a shot inside a church at the Bonanza Creek Ranch. Investigators would later find seven other suspected live rounds on the set, mixed among dummy rounds.

Det. Alexandria Hancock was tasked with figuring out how they got there. On Nov. 9, she interviewed Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the film’s 24-year-old armorer, who came in with her attorney. The interview was recorded on Hancock’s bodycam.

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