SANTA FE, NM – New Mexico MPs have seized nine cartridge cases and several boxes of ammunition as part of their investigation into the fatal accident on the set of the movie “Rust,” recently released documents revealed.
Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed last Thursday when a propeller pistol handled by actor Alec Baldwin sparked an investigation into the tragedy.
An inventory list of items seized as part of a search warrant issued Friday shows investigators from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office also collected three black guns and 14 swabs of “suspected blood.”
“Ammunition and boxes in bulk” on a tray, several boxes of ammunition and a “fanny pack with ammunition” were among the items listed on the inventory list, although the document does not specify the make or type of bullets.
Juan Rios, chief information officer for the Santa Fe sheriff’s office, said the sheriff is expected to reveal the type of ammunition fired at a press conference scheduled for Wednesday morning.
Ammunition should be a key part of the investigation into what went wrong, as a production source claimed blanks and active roads had been stored in the same area.
Reports even indicated that the propeller cannon that killed Hutchins may have been used in a staggered fashion by crew members to practice on target – with live ammunition in the chamber.
The inventory list includes other hardware, including a hard drive, leather belts with holsters, and clothing, including a black mask.
The search warrant was executed for a small building on the ranch grounds that served as a church in the film where the shooting took place. It is described in the warrant as a wooden structure with a sloping roof and a cross on top.
