The Rust assistant director, on-set armorer, and actor Alec Baldwin are all still at the center of the investigation into the accidental fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Thus far, none of the three individuals have been cleared by authorities looking into the tragedy, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza told Today on Thursday, October 28.
On October 21, Hutchins died at the age of 42 after Baldwin, 63, accidentally fired a prop gun - which contained live ammunition - while rehearsing for a scene that entailed pointing a gun at the camera.
Mendoza said: "Nobody’s been cleared as of yet. Again, there are three people that handled the firearm prior to the death of Ms. Hutchins, so those people will be interviewed, are the focus of the investigation, and so nobody’s been cleared as of yet."
The gun was handed to Baldwin by assistant director Dave Halls, who said he retrieved the weapon from armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, according to a search warrant affidavit.
Gutierrez-Reed told police that live ammunition is never brought on to set, as they are strictly prohibited.
Referring specifically to Halls and Gutierrez-Reed, Mendoza said: "I can say this, those two individuals are obviously the focus of the investigation."
On Wednesday, October 27, Mendoza confirmed at a press conference that the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office has ascertained that the prop gun fired by Baldwin contained a live bullet.
The bullet shot through Hutchins' body and lodged in director Joel Souza's shoulder. Souza was taken to the hospital after the shooting and has since been discharged.
Mendoza said: "I think during the interviews and the focus of the investigation is how the live rounds got there, who brought them there, why they were there."
Halls handed Baldwin a Pietta Long Colt revolver he was told was safe to use before he pulled the trigger, Mendoza stated at the press conference. He also said that police are in possession of the gun in question and the shell casing from the live round.
According to a search warrant affidavit, Halls told investigators he should have been more cautious about the gun before handing it over to Baldwin.
He said it was his responsibility to yell out "cold gun" meaning that a gun doesn't contain live bullets. On the day of the on-set shooting, he announced that the weapon was a "cold gun" despite it containing live ammunition.