Police say they recovered lead projectile fired from gun used by Alec Baldwin on movie set

New Mexico authorities said Wednesday they have recovered a "lead projectile" believed to have been fired from the gun used by Alec Baldwin in the fatal movie-set shooting.

Investigators discussed their initial findings in the shooting in which actor Alec Baldwin fired a gun that killed the movie's cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, and wounded director Joel Souza.

Testing is being done to determine whether the "lead projectile" recovered from Souza's shoulder was fired from the gun â€" a long Colt revolver â€" used by Baldwin. Two other guns seized include a single-action revolver that may have been modified and a plastic prop gun that was described as a revolver.

Investigators also noted that there was "some complacency" in how weapons were handled on a movie set, but it's too soon to determine whether charges will be filed. Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said that 500 rounds of ammunition â€" a mix of blanks, dummy rounds and live rounds â€" were found while searching the set.

"Obviously I think the industry has had a record recently of being safe. I think there was some complacency on this set, and I think there are some safety issues that need to be addressed by the industry and possibly by the state of New Mexico," Mendoza remarked.

Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins is seen in this undated handout photo on Oct. 23, 2021. Hutchins was killed in the shooting on the set of Rust. (Swen Studios/Handout/Reuters)

Investigators said they will also be following up on reports that there were other misfires with guns used on the set.

District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said investigators can't say whether it was negligence or by whom at this point.

The shooting has baffled Hollywood professionals and prompted calls to better regulate firearms on sets or even ban them in the age of seamless computer-generated imagery. Court records say that an assistant director, Dave Halls, grabbed the gun from a cart and handed it to Baldwin, indicating the weapon was safe by yelling "cold gun." 

WATCH | Alec Baldwin was told prop weapon was a 'cold gun' before shooting: Alec Baldwin was told prop weapon was a 'cold gun' before shooting3 days agoThe gun used in a fatal shooting on the set of the movie Rust in New Mexico earlier this week had been declared safe to use by a crew member just before it was discharged, court records show. 4:00

The film's armourer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, said she checked dummy bullets on the day of the shooting to ensure that none were "hot" rounds. She also told a detective that while the guns used for filming were locked up during a crew lunch break, ammunition was left on a cart unsecured, according to a search warrant released Wednesday ahead of the news conference.

Gutierrez Reed told a detective that no live ammo was ever kept on the set.

Halls, who handed the gun to Baldwin before the shooting, said Gutierrez Reed typically opened the hatch of the gun and spun the drum, though he couldn't recall if she did that before the shooting. He said he only remembered seeing three rounds in the gun, according to the warrant.

After the shooting, Halls took the gun to Gutierrez and said he saw five rounds in the gun, at least four of them were "dummy" rounds indicated by a hole on the side and a cap on the round. Halls said there was also a casing in the gun that did not have the cap and did not have the hole indicating it was a dummy, the warrant said.

"David advised the incident was not a deliberate act," according to the warrant, which was issued Wednesday in order to search a truck that was used on the set.

Film director Joel Souza is seen in this undated handout photo obtained by Reuters. Souza was standing behind Hutchins when she was shot, and suffered a wound to his shoulder. (Phillip Caruso/Reuters)

Baldwin, 63, who is known for his roles in 30 Rock, The Departed and The Hunt for Red October along with impression of former U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live, has described the killing as a "tragic accident."

Carmack-Altwies told The Associated Press prior to the news conference that the investigation is still in its early stages â€" far from any decisions about whether or not to file criminal charges.

She said those involved in the production were co-operating with law enforcement and that prosecutors won't fully review evidence until the completion of an initial investigation by the sheriff's office.

Alec Baldwin speaks on the phone in the parking lot outside the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office in Santa Fe, N.M., after he was questioned about a shooting on the set of the film Rust on the outskirts of Santa Fe, Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021. (Jim Weber/Santa Fe New Mexican/The Associated Press)

The gun Baldwin used was one of three that a firearms specialist, or "armourer," had set on a cart outside the building where a scene was being rehearsed, according to court records.

Souza, who was standing behind Hutchins when he was wounded, told investigators there should never be live rounds present whatsoever near the scene.

Authorities have seized three black revolvers, gun belts with holsters, ammunition boxes, a fanny pack with ammunition, several spent casings and articles of clothing and swabs of what were believed to be blood.

On set disputes

The production of Rust has been beset by workplace disputes from the start in early October. Hours before the shooting, several camera crew members walked off the set amid discord over working conditions, including safety procedures.

Baldwin in his role as actor appeared unlikely to be held criminally or civilly liable for the tragedy. As a producer, however, he is among a long list of associates on the film who could face some sort of liability.

Concerns have been raised about Halls' safety record by colleagues on two previous productions. Halls has not returned phone calls and email messages seeking comment.

Rust Movie Productions, the production company, says it is co-operating with Santa Fe authorities in their investigation and conducting its own internal review of procedures with the production shut down.

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