Rust' Armorer's Lawyer Thinks Disgruntled Worker Sabotaged Gun: VIDEO - Comic Sands

Home>
News>

        'Rust' Armorer's Lawyer Claims Disgruntled Crew Member May Have Intentionally Sabotaged Gun
    

        TODAY/YouTube
    
By Peter KarlebyNov 04, 2021
Peter Karleby
Peter Karleby is a writer, content producer and performer originally from Michigan. His writing has also appeared on YourTango, Delish and Medium, and he has produced content for NBC, The New York Times and The CW, among others. When not working, he can be found tripping over his own feet on a hiking trail while singing Madonna songs to ward off lurking bears.
 See Full Bio 
Top Stories
AI Powered

        Florida Cop Gives Woman Ticket For Allegedly Driving With Phone In Her Right Hand—Only For Her To Reveal She's An Amputee
    

        Florida Man Goes Viral After Finding Millions Of Dollars Floating In Mysterious Bag At The Beach
    
The case of the shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins by Alec Baldwin on the set of the film Rust took yet another turn yesterday when attorneys representing the film's armorer claimed the shooting may have resulted from sabotage by a disgruntled employee.
In an appearance on TODAY, lawyers Jason Bowles and Robert Gorence, who are representing armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, laid out details of the case that show both the gun and its ammunition were left unattended, leaving both open to tampering.
See Bowles' and Gorence's full TODAY interview below.
youtu.be
In the interview, Bowles explained that only so-called dummy rounds were supposed to be on the set, and that Gutierrez-Reed loaded the gun from an ammunition box labeled "dummy rounds." Hence, he and Gorence are exploring the possibility that someone deliberately added a live round to the ammunition box. 
As Bowles explained to TODAY's Savannah Guthrie:
"We know there was a live round in a box of dummy rounds that shouldn't have been there."
"We have people who had left the set, who had walked out because they were disgruntled.""We have a time frame between 11 and 1 approximately, that day, in which the firearms at times were unattended, so there was opportunity to tamper with this scene...""...We're assuming somebody put the live round in that box — which, if you think about that, the person who put the live round in the box of dummy rounds had to have the purpose of sabotaging the set."Several Rust crew members have said the film set was plagued with safety violations and pay, benefit and labor disputes, culminating with several crew members quitting the film in the days before the shooting.
But Guthrie seemed dubious about Bowles' and Gorence's theories, which do not account for how live ammunition was not discovered in the final firearm safety procedures required on film sets and which were the responsibility of Gutierrez-Reed and the film's First Assistant Director Dave Halls.
On Twitter, many shared this suspicion of the attorneys' claims and accused them of attempting to scapegoat crew members advocating for a safer working environment.

Even IF there was sabotage it wouldn't absolve her responsibility. It was HER job to check the gun before handing it over to the actor. She failed

Sabotage would just add additional charges to another, not remove hers 

Imo, this is a deflection attempt thought up by her lawyer
— Katsuko (@Katsuko_Maru) November 3, 2021 


Ugh. I don't really like the direction the armorer's lawyers are headed. (Also if it was sabotage the gun still shouldn't have been loaded with any bullets when it was given to the actor.) #rust https://t.co/hmip2G62tk pic.twitter.com/gaRcRZ4cim
— Paul Scheer (@paulscheer) November 3, 2021 

2] intentionally put live bullets in the prop gun during the time it was left unattended, she has just admitted criminal negligence in doing her job so poorly.
— Peter Arenella (@arenella1) November 3, 2021 

Seems equally if not much more likely that one of the rounds from an earlier session of recreational shooting on the lot got loose & mistaken for a dummy. Sick they need to accuse someone of deadly sabotage to distract from the armorer's failure to catch it when loading the gun.
— vibradiant (@vibradiant) November 3, 2021 


Also “the guns were left unattended for hours" really isn't the defense they seem to think it is. Yikes.
— Meg Turney (@megturney) November 3, 2021 

I real bullet has a slug on top, a blank doesn't. There is no confusing the two, even for the uneducated. There is also zero reason for real bullets to be anywhere near a movie set. The rumor is she went off set to pop off live rounds in-between filming and forgot to clear gun.
— Arizona Political 💎 (@AZVotes) November 3, 2021 

Lawyers ploy to establish “reasonable doubt". Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was still *solely* responsible for ensuring gun safety, which includes checking “blanks" and gun chamber. No matter how you present case, she is at fault.
— Krista-Lynn (@kristalynnland) November 3, 2021 


Let's not forget that their are some lovely and confirmed images of guns left out in the open on tables ..oh look, I found one. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. These lawyers are trying to change a narrative. No experienced armourer would leave them out in the open. pic.twitter.com/XEMkw0exFz
— The Reel Debaters Podcast (@reeldebaters) November 3, 2021 

I was a cinematographer for 30 years. I am in the ASC, I am an ASC nominee for outstanding cinematography. I have never seen a live round on a set. No one can touch the guns except the armorer, the safety office (the AD), and the actors. Period.
— Steven Bernstein ASC, DGA, WGA (@stevebfilm) November 3, 2021 

Oh, look at that, the lawyer for the "Rust" armorer is speculating that the union workers who walked off set sabotaged the gun. What a totally convenient and unexpected scapegoat!
— Laruna Softpaw🦖🦕🏳️⚧️ (@LarunaSoftpaw) November 3, 2021 

She was the armorer on the set of Rust. It was her job to KNOW that where the live rounds came from. This is the best defense her lawyers got? Yikes. https://t.co/4Yd7QhA82Y
— 𝐵𝑒𝒸𝒸𝒶 (@MJFINESSELOVER) October 29, 2021 

As for Gutierrez-Reed, her attorneys said she "remains very emotional" in the aftermath of the killing. 
Rust was only Gutierrez-Reed's second job as an armorer. 
Her attorneys said she was also working a second job on the set as the film's key props assistant.
Latest News
Science & Health
        DoorDash Driver Caught Scooping Up Smoothie He Dropped On Floor Back Into Cup—And We're Gonna Be Sick
    
McKenzie Lynn Tozan
6h
Entertainment
        Cynthia Erivo Speaks Out About The Racist Impetus Behind Those Memes Of Her As Ariana Grande's 'Bodyguard'
    
McKenzie Lynn Tozan
6h
Science & Health
        Ohio Food Bank Worker Reveals The Partially-Eaten And Expired Items People Try To Donate—And Yikes
    
McKenzie Lynn Tozan
6h
Trending
        Fox News Reporter Gets Hit With Brutal Insult Live On Air After Criticizing ICE Protester's 'Dirty Mouth'
    
Amelia Mavis Christnot
6h
Don’t Miss Out

      Join the
      ComicSands.com
      community and make your opinion matter.
    

The Top 5

Discover More

The case of the shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins by Alec Baldwin on the set of the film Rust took yet another turn yesterday when attorneys representing the film's armorer claimed the shooting may have resulted from sabotage by a disgruntled employee.

In an appearance on TODAY, lawyers Jason Bowles and Robert Gorence, who are representing armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, laid out details of the case that show both the gun and its ammunition were left unattended, leaving both open to tampering.

See Bowles' and Gorence's full TODAY interview below.

In the interview, Bowles explained that only so-called dummy rounds were supposed to be on the set, and that Gutierrez-Reed loaded the gun from an ammunition box labeled "dummy rounds." Hence, he and Gorence are exploring the possibility that someone deliberately added a live round to the ammunition box.

As Bowles explained to TODAY's Savannah Guthrie:

"We know there was a live round in a box of dummy rounds that shouldn't have been there."

"We have people who had left the set, who had walked out because they were disgruntled."

"We have a time frame between 11 and 1 approximately, that day, in which the firearms at times were unattended, so there was opportunity to tamper with this scene..."

"...We're assuming somebody put the live round in that box — which, if you think about that, the person who put the live round in the box of dummy rounds had to have the purpose of sabotaging the set."

Several Rust crew members have said the film set was plagued with safety violations and pay, benefit and labor disputes, culminating with several crew members quitting the film in the days before the shooting.

But Guthrie seemed dubious about Bowles' and Gorence's theories, which do not account for how live ammunition was not discovered in the final firearm safety procedures required on film sets and which were the responsibility of Gutierrez-Reed and the film's First Assistant Director Dave Halls.

On Twitter, many shared this suspicion of the attorneys' claims and accused them of attempting to scapegoat crew members advocating for a safer working environment.

Even IF there was sabotage it wouldn't absolve her responsibility. It was HER job to check the gun before handing it over to the actor. She failed

Sabotage would just add additional charges to another, not remove hers

Imo, this is a deflection attempt thought up by her lawyer
— Katsuko (@Katsuko_Maru) November 3, 2021

Ugh. I don't really like the direction the armorer's lawyers are headed. (Also if it was sabotage the gun still shouldn't have been loaded with any bullets when it was given to the actor.) #rust https://t.co/hmip2G62tk pic.twitter.com/gaRcRZ4cim
— Paul Scheer (@paulscheer) November 3, 2021

2] intentionally put live bullets in the prop gun during the time it was left unattended, she has just admitted criminal negligence in doing her job so poorly.
— Peter Arenella (@arenella1) November 3, 2021

Seems equally if not much more likely that one of the rounds from an earlier session of recreational shooting on the lot got loose & mistaken for a dummy. Sick they need to accuse someone of deadly sabotage to distract from the armorer's failure to catch it when loading the gun.
— vibradiant (@vibradiant) November 3, 2021

Also “the guns were left unattended for hours" really isn't the defense they seem to think it is. Yikes.
— Meg Turney (@megturney) November 3, 2021

I real bullet has a slug on top, a blank doesn't. There is no confusing the two, even for the uneducated. There is also zero reason for real bullets to be anywhere near a movie set. The rumor is she went off set to pop off live rounds in-between filming and forgot to clear gun.
— Arizona Political 💎 (@AZVotes) November 3, 2021

Lawyers ploy to establish “reasonable doubt". Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was still *solely* responsible for ensuring gun safety, which includes checking “blanks" and gun chamber. No matter how you present case, she is at fault.
— Krista-Lynn (@kristalynnland) November 3, 2021

Let's not forget that their are some lovely and confirmed images of guns left out in the open on tables ..oh look, I found one. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. These lawyers are trying to change a narrative. No experienced armourer would leave them out in the open. pic.twitter.com/XEMkw0exFz
— The Reel Debaters Podcast (@reeldebaters) November 3, 2021

I was a cinematographer for 30 years. I am in the ASC, I am an ASC nominee for outstanding cinematography. I have never seen a live round on a set. No one can touch the guns except the armorer, the safety office (the AD), and the actors. Period.
— Steven Bernstein ASC, DGA, WGA (@stevebfilm) November 3, 2021

Oh, look at that, the lawyer for the "Rust" armorer is speculating that the union workers who walked off set sabotaged the gun. What a totally convenient and unexpected scapegoat!
— Laruna Softpaw🦖🦕🏳️⚧️ (@LarunaSoftpaw) November 3, 2021

She was the armorer on the set of Rust. It was her job to KNOW that where the live rounds came from. This is the best defense her lawyers got? Yikes. https://t.co/4Yd7QhA82Y
— 𝐵𝑒𝒸𝒸𝒶 (@MJFINESSELOVER) October 29, 2021

As for Gutierrez-Reed, her attorneys said she "remains very emotional" in the aftermath of the killing.

Rust was only Gutierrez-Reed's second job as an armorer.

Her attorneys said she was also working a second job on the set as the film's key props assistant.

From Your Site Articles

Alec Baldwin Shares Letter From 'Rust' Crew Negating 'Chaotic' Set Reports - Comic Sands ›

Related Articles Around the Web

More from News

        MediasTouch Podcast; Ron Jenkins/Getty Images
    

        Texas Democrat James Talarico Has Epic Response To MAGA Opponent's Accusation That He's A Secret Vegan
    
Alan Herrera
May 28, 2026
Texas Senate nominee James Talarico had the perfect response after MAGA Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton accused him of being a secret vegan.
Talarico is not actually vegan—though there is nothing inherently wrong with veganism. Even so, Paxton has already begun attacking his likely Democratic challenger before he has officially entered the race, arguing that Talarico is unfit to represent Texans partly because of his supposed veganism.
Keep ReadingShow less
Most Read
Gavin Newsom
        Ted Cruz Just Tried To Brag About Gas Prices In Texas—Then His Old Tweet About Gas Prices Under Biden Came Back To Bite Him
    
Alan Herrera
9h
Donald Trump
        Anti-Trump Stickers Keep Getting Spotted On Gas Pumps—And They're Absolutely Brutal
    
Amelia Mavis Christnot
26 May
Trending
        Guy Goes Viral After Bombing Job Interview With Hilarious Answer To 'What's Your Weakness?'—And Oof
    
McKenzie Lynn Tozan
21 May
2026 Elections
        Texas Woman Has Blunt Correction For Her Conservative Husband After He Backs MAGA Senate Candidate During TV Interview
    
Amelia Mavis Christnot
27 May
Trending
        Maine Senator Calls Out Medicare Spending By Offering $11 Bath Mat Solution—And People Are Nodding Hard
    
Alan Herrera
22 May

         Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
    

        Russell Crowe Shuts Down Accusations He Was Rude To Fans In Paris After Video Goes Viral—But People Are Torn
    
McKenzie Lynn Tozan
May 28, 2026
While staying in a hotel in Paris, Gladiator star Russell Crowe was met with a crowd of fans outside, eager to take selfies and receive autographs.
Crowe took the time to work his way through the crowd while still honoring his schedule and other guests at the hotel, and he was able to do that by setting firm boundaries, which were soon met with mixed reviews.
Keep ReadingShow less

        @variety/X
    

        Journalist Slammed After Only Addressing South Korean Film's Two White Actors During Q&A At Cannes
    
Peter Karleby
May 28, 2026
A journalist is being hotly criticized for all but ignoring the Asian stars of a South Korean film at Cannes in favor of the film's two white headliners.
Stars Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander are being criticized as well for not calling out the journalist's behavior and sticking up for their castmates.
Keep ReadingShow less

        The Breakfast Club/YouTube
    

        Kevin Hart Just Tried To Defend Tony Hinchcliffe's George Floyd Joke At His Netflix Roast—And Fans Aren't Having It
    
Amelia Mavis Christnot
May 28, 2026
Comedian Kevin Hart is facing heightened backlash after picking the worst venue to defend and make excuses for the racist jokes of MAGA comedian Tony Hinchcliffe. Hinchcliffe was included as a featured performer on Netflix's roast of Hart.
Despite getting his backside handed to him by Chelsea Handler, Hinchcliffe still managed to spew some of the bigotry passed off as humor that is his shtick. Hart then decided to go on the popular morning radio show The Breakfast Club to defend him.
Keep ReadingShow less

        Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images; John Lamparski/Getty Images
    

        Zohran Mamdani Trolls Vivek Ramaswamy Hard After Knicks Sweep Cavaliers—And Fans Are Cheering
    
Alan Herrera
May 28, 2026
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani had social media users cackling after he couldn't help but rub the Knicks' sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the face of Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
Ramaswamy, a billionaire entrepreneur, is currently campaigning for the 2026 election in the state, where he has continued to face accusations that he is out of touch with the average American voter, such as when he suggested lawmakers could help make parenting "more affordable" by making school year-round.
Keep ReadingShow less
Load More