The armorer for doomed western 'Rust' - where a cinematographer was shot dead by a live bullet in October - is laying part of the blame on gunman Alec Baldwin for failing to attend a training session.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed filed a lawsuit in a Bernalillo County, New Mexico court on Wednesday that claims Baldwin, 63, ignored a request to attend a 'cross bow' session about a week before the tragedy.
The rookie armorer also faulted assistant director David Halls for failing to follow set protocol when he allegedly handed Baldwin the weapon without first calling on her to inspect it, according to the lawsuit.
Gutierrez-Reed, 24, is suing Seth Kenney and his company PDQ Arm and Prop LLC for allegedly supplying the deadly bullet. Baldwin is not named as a defendant in the suit.
The 24-page document is also rife with details about a set rife with bitter disputes, carelessness and anecdotes that detail a disregard for safety.
Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed filed a lawsuit in a Bernalillo County, New Mexico court Wednesday that claimed Alec Baldwin, 63, ignored a request to attend a 'cross bow' session about a week before the tragedy
Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was accidentally shot dead by Baldwin
The film's assistant director handed the gun to Baldwin just before the shooting without calling on Gutierrez-Reed to inspect it a final time, the lawsuit said. Baldwin is pictured speaking on the phone after the prop gun killed Hutchins
Gutierrez-Reed - whose dad is legendary film armorer Thell Reed - said her father worked with Kenney on a previous film, where they trained actors at a licensed shooting range using live ammunition.
Following the workshop, Kenney took a bucket filed with upward of 300 live .45 Colt rounds home, the lawsuit claims. The cache included Starline Brass reloaded 'live' rounds - the same type of bullet used during the 'Rust' incident.
About a month later, Gutierrez-Reed landed a gig as an armorer and props assistant on 'Rust,' where she was tasked with juggling two jobs at once.
'This gun heavy script required Hannah to perform a significant amount of work each day as both an armorer and key props assistant,' the legal filing said.
She was soon joined on set by props manager Sarah Zachry, who later accidentally fired a blank round at her foot on set, the lawsuit said.
About 20 minutes after that mishap, Baldwin's stunt double also accidentally discharged a weapon on set, prompting Gutierrez-Reed to confront her colleague about the sloppy mistakes, the lawsuit said.
When she indicated her intentions of reporting the incident to management, it led to a headed exchange with Kenney, the bullet supplier.
'Accidental discharges are accidents,' Kenney said in a text message referenced in the legal filing. 'We learn and move on, and don't forget, she's your boss. Don't push it.'
On the morning of the shooting, October 21, Gutierrez-Reed said she arrived to the set to find Zachry already in the prop trailer, retrieving fire arms.
She also discovered a full box labeled 'dummy rounds .45 LC' that someone placed atop her equipment bag, the lawsuit said.
She believes the box came from Kenney and when she shook it, heard a 'jingling' sound which is what it's supposed to sound like when dummy bullets are being rattled.
Gutierrez-Reed said she was met with hostility by bullet supplier Seth Kenney when she revealed her intentions of reporting accidental discharges on set to producers
The lawsuit also claims that Kenney texted Gutierrez-Reed after the tragedy in an effort to convince her to drop claims the shooting was an act of sabotage
Baldwin has claimed that he cross drew the firearm and, at Hutchins' requested, pointed the gun toward her before it 'just went off'
Said the lawsuit: 'Had Hannah been called back in, she would have re-inspected the weapon, and every round again, and instructed Baldwin on safe gun practice with the cross draw'
Later that morning, she said she, Zachry and another coworker loaded Baldwin's gun, attempting to use dummy rounds from the box.
'For Alec Baldwin’s gun, Hannah loaded 4 dummy rounds with holes in them from her pants pocket, a 5th dummy round from the box with a hole
