Nicolas Cage Walked Off Set Where 'Rust' Armorer Also Worked After Guns Fired Without Warning, Says Key Grip

Stu Brumbaugh says Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was the subject of gun safety complaints on the set of "The Old Way," a western filmed in August. "Rust" assistant director Dave Halls is reportedly admitting to safety lapses on set, according to a new affidavit.

Nicolas Cage was “visibly upset” when Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer under scrutiny over last week's fatal “Rust” shooting, fired guns without warning on the set of “The Old Way,” a different western movie filmed in August, a key grip for the production told Inside Edition. 

“There were some incidents that kind of raised some red flags with me,” Stu Brumbaugh, the grip on the set of "The Old Way" said.

Brumbaugh says the young armorer was the subject of gun safety complaints on the western starring Cage.

“[Cage] just said, ‘Can we please make an announcement when we’re firing guns? You blew my eardrums out.’ He was visibly upset and walked off,” Brumbaugh continued.

Assistant director Dave Halls is also reportedly admitting to safety lapses on the "Rust" set, according to a new affidavit.

Halls reportedly told investigators that he could only “remember seeing 3 rounds” in the Colt pistol before handing the gun to Alec Baldwin. He also said he “should have checked all of the rounds” and “doesn’t remember if Hannah spun the drum.”

In 2019, Halls was reportedly fired from the set of the movie “Freedom’s Path” after a gun unexpectedly discharged, causing a minor injury to a crew member. 

The investigation into the Oct. 21 tragedy, which left cinematographer Halyna Hutchins dead and director Joel Souza injured, continued Wednesday.

The New Mexico First Judicial district attorney announced that criminal charges are possible and that everyone involved is under investigation, including Baldwin.

“All options are on the table at this point. No one has been ruled out at this point,” Mary Carmack-Altwies said at a press conference. 

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza also revealed that 600 items of evidence were collected from the set, including 500 rounds of ammunition. 

The ammunition included a mix of blanks, dummy rounds and “what we are suspecting, live rounds,” Mendoza said. The sheriff also says they’ve recovered the “lead projectile” fired into Souza’s shoulder.

The Santa Fe County Sheriff's Department says they have interviewed Baldwin multiple times and he and others who were on the set have been cooperating with the investigation. 

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