Office security regulator says administration failed in deadly capturing by Alec Baldwin

SANTA FE, N.M. — Complaints by a film weapons supervisor to managers went unheeded as she sought extra time and assets to satisfy security duties on the set of the Western film “Rust,” the place actor Alec Baldwin fatally shot a cinematographer, a office security investigator testified Tuesday on the trial.
Protection attorneys for armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed known as the inspector amongst its first witnesses to refute allegations of involuntary manslaughter within the deadly capturing of a cinematographer Halyna Hutchins throughout a rehearsal in October 2021.
Lorenzo Montoya, of the New Mexico Occupational Well being and Security Bureau, carried out a six-month investigation of the capturing and whether or not managers affiliated with Rust Film Productions complied with state office security laws.
His inspection produced a scathing narrative of security failures in violation of normal business protocols, together with observations that weapons specialists weren’t allowed to make choices about further security coaching and did not reply to Gutierrez-Reed’s complaints. The report additionally discovered that managers took restricted or no motion to deal with two misfires on set earlier than the deadly capturing and requests to supply extra coaching.
Protection attorneys argue the Gutierrez-Reed, who has pleaded not responsible, is being unfairly scapegoated for issues past her management on the set of “Rust,” together with Baldwin’s dealing with of the weapons on the set of the Western film in 2021.
Montoya stated Gutierrez-Reed’s requests for extra assets as an armorer went unheeded.
“Rust Film Productions recognized a hazard,” Montoya stated. “They adopted firearms security insurance policies, however they completely did not implement them, practice their staff on them, observe them, reference them. Nothing. They adopted it, and it stopped on the phrase adoption. Nothing additional occurred.”
In a counterpoint to these findings, prosecutors beforehand launched testimony from on-set producer Gabrielle Pickle that she responded to gun-safety issues on the set of “Rust” by offering extra days — 10 days, elevated from 5 — for Gutierrez-Reed to commit to her armorer duties, as a substitute of different obligations within the props division.
Prosecutors say Gutierrez-Reed is guilty for unwittingly bringing dwell ammunition on set and that she flouted fundamental security protocols for weapons dealing with.
Dozens of witnesses have testified at a trial that started with jury choice on Feb. 21, together with eyewitnesses to the capturing, FBI proof analysts, an ammunition provider to “Rust,” and the movie director who was wounded within the capturing and survived.
Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer on “Rust,” was individually indicted by a grand jury final month on an involuntary manslaughter cost in reference to the deadly capturing of Hutchins. He has pleaded not responsible, and his trial is scheduled for July.
Baldwin was pointing the gun at Hutchins throughout a rehearsal on the set exterior of Santa Fe when the gun went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza.
Rust Film Productions paid a $100,000 wonderful to resolve the state office security findings.
A second cost in opposition to Gutierrez-Reed of proof tampering stems from accusations that she handed a small bag of doable narcotics to a different crew member after the capturing to keep away from detection.