Detectives found loose ammunition inside a fanny pack at the 'Rust' set, report says

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Detectives found loose ammunition inside a fanny pack at the 'Rust' set, report says
Aerial photo shows the "Rust" set in Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Jae C. Hong/AP Photo
  • Detectives searched the "Rust" set after the prop-gun shooting that killed Halyna Hutchins.
  • They found loose ammo stored in a fanny pack and strewn across the set, The New York Times reported.
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Detectives searching the "Rust" movie set found loose ammunition inside a fanny pack in their investigation of last week's fatal shooting of the cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, The New York Times reported, citing a court filing.

An inventory of the items discovered, which was filed to the Santa Fe County Magistrate Court on Monday, included three revolvers, an unspecified number of spent casings, as well as ammunition found in boxes, lying around loosely, and stored inside in a fanny pack, The Times reported.

The document did not specify whether the ammunition included live bullets, blank cartridges, or dummies, though live bullets are generally forbidden on movie sets, The Times reported.

"The fact that there is loose ammunition and casings raises questions about the organization of the armory department," said Mike Tristano, a veteran professional armorer based in Los Angeles, told The Times.

Tristano also said ammunition would typically be kept in a clearly labeled box.

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The actor Alec Baldwin fatally shot Hutchins in the chest with a prop gun while rehearsing a scene for the movie last Thursday, according to an affidavit filed Sunday.

Baldwin, who was practicing removing his revolver from its holster and aiming it toward the camera, was told the firearm was a "cold gun," meaning there were no live rounds in the prop, the affidavit said, citing eyewitnesses.

Since the incident, several reports have emerged pointing to an unsafe filming environment on the "Rust" set.

According to the Los Angeles Times, several members of the camera crew walked off set to protest safety conditions just hours before the tragic shooting.

Dave Halls, the assistant director that told Baldwin the prop was a "cold gun," also had a history of unsafe work practices. A former colleague told NBC News that Halls neglected to hold safety meetings or make announcements before the appearance of a gun on a previous project they worked on together.

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Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the 24-year-old head armorer working on "Rust," also previously told a podcast she almost didn't take her last job because she wasn't sure if she was experienced enough.

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