Sheriff Adan Mendoza of Santa Fe County, New Mexico, warned Tuesday on NBC's "The Today Show" that no one is "off the hook" for the Oct. 21, 2021, fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the movie "Rust."
Mendoza told the network that it was "too early to rule anything out right now," adding that he doesn't believe "anybody's off the hook when it comes to criminal charges."
"It's hard to determine right now the route that the case is going to go," he continued. "I think there was complacency on the set. There was disorganization and a degree of negligence. Whether that rises to a criminal level, that will be up to the district attorney."
The sheriff also responded when asked about Alec Baldwin's statement that he does not feel responsible for what happened on set that day as a producer of the movie or alleged handler of the gun during the incident.
"I think whether he's responsible or not will be up to the district attorney's office," Mendoza said.
One of the main concerns for authorities in the case has been how live rounds got on the set to begin with. Mendoza revealed that investigators were provided with "concerning" text messages regarding the ammunition, but currently, no one has come forward admitting to bringing them.
The comments from Mendoza follow the public release of video footage from the sheriff's office showing the "Rust" set shortly after the incident, including the initial conversations investigators had with Baldwin, the film's armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, and prop weapons and ammunition supplier Seth Kenney.
The footage revealed allegations by Kenney about Gutierrez-Reed during an interview with deputies, where he claimed she "wanted to shoot live ammo out of the guns, the TV movie guns" on a previous set.
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