Who is Seth Kenney? 'Rust' shooting investigation focuses on 'armorer mentor'
Hannah Gutierrez Reed, 24, wasn’t the only weapons wrangler involved in the 'Rust' tragedy, but a second gun expert called Seth Kenney was also part of the set. Kenney owns a licensed Lake Havasu City, Ariz., weapons and props rental company. Late in September, Kenney was added to the 'Rust' crew as an 'armorer mentor' for Gutierrez Reed, claimed an internal 'Rust' crew list shared with the Los Angeles Times. The 'Rust' tragedy involved cinematographer Halyna Hutchins being killed after actor Alec Baldwin's prop gun misfired.
Kenney, 51, recommended Gutierrez Reed for the armorer job, sources told the Los Angeles Times. According to six people who are familiar with the matter, Kenney also supplied the guns used in 'Rust'. Two sources said Kenney provided the Colt .45 that Baldwin fired that day.
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Who is Seth Kenney?
How large of a role Kenney played as Gutierrez Reed's 'mentor', however, is unclear. A number of longtime prop masters have claimed that they have never heard of such a position and that the employment of an 'armorer mentor' for a film or TV production is very rare. According to one longtime armorer, supervisory roles are usually called a 'key armorer' or 'weapons master'. A more common title, according to another prop master, would be 'armorer assistant' for the more junior person.
Kenney was an entrepreneur in San Clemente over two decades back. Back then, Kenney, along with his then-wife, was part-owner of several San Clemente businesses, including a stationery store, Cheers; a gift shop, Summer House; and the Del Mar Bicycle Co., which Seth Kenney ran, a 1996 article in The Times claims. Kenney has been working in the film industry for at least a decade, and was listed as a 'weapon's consultant' on the 2015 Shia LaBeouf film 'Man Down'.
Kenney worked at the Hand Prop Room from 2011 to 2016, where he handled the store's weapons arsenal. He also dealt with prop masters for shows such as AMC’s 'The Walking Dead', and movies such as 'Django Unchained'. “He’s very knowledgeable in the field. He’s a personable person, very good at educating individuals who aren’t so good at weapons,” said an individual who was not authorized to speak publicly. “He customized the weapons for whatever load you’re needing, which is very precise, he’s one of the very few who know how to do that. He provided weapons to hundreds of productions when he worked there.”
Later, however, there were issues between Kenney and the Hand Prop Room’s owners over alleged misconduct and missing guns. Following the falling out, the Hand Prop Room filed suit against Kenney in Los Angeles County Superior Court in May 2016. It accused Kenney of taking some of its weapons in an attempt to start a competing business. It also accused Kenney of trying to siphon off its clients for his own business.
Back in January 2016, Kenney had formed his own company called PDQ Media Arm & Prop in Georgia. In its lawsuit, the Hand Prop Room claimed that Kenney was trying to poach one of its longtime customers -- the prop master of 'The Walking Dead'. They accused Kenney of opening his own firm in April 2016 while he was still employed with them. However, the case was dismissed in 2017 after the Hand Prop Room asked for it.
Kenney later opened PDQ Media Arm & Prop in Lake Havasu City, Ariz.. In 2019, he listed a separate prop company called PDQ Arm & Prop, LLC, based in Albuquerque, New Mexico public records revealed. Agency records claim that issued by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Kenney's company has two licenses for dealing in firearms. The licenses allow employees to transport guns over state lines legally. The company is also allowed to manufacture most firearms in order to sell them, and also to import weapons and ammunition. Records reveal that these licenses expire in 2024.
