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The big mystery in the fatal shooting on the set of Alec Baldwin's movie "Rust" remains ... how live rounds ended up in the weapon, and now investigators are taking a closer look at the film's ammo supplier.

According to a new search warrant, obtained by TMZ, detectives in New Mexico have interviewed a guy named Seth Kenney, one of the suppliers of the ammunition head armorer Hannah Reed used on set.

Cops also spoke to Hannah's father, Thell Reed, who himself is an experienced armorer who has worked with Seth. In the docs, cops say Thell told them he and Seth crossed paths on a different production ... a month or 2 before the "Rust" tragedy.

What's interesting about that is ... Thell claims Seth brought live ammo -- a can with about 200 to 300 rounds -- to that set for the purpose of weapons training. When the training was completed, Thell says Seth took back the remaining bullets, and claims that included some live Colt .45 ammo.

The gun Baldwin fired was a long barrel Colt .45. You see where Thell is going with this -- he told cops the leftover ammo from his production might match that which killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

That's his theory, anyway, and cops are willing to check it out -- the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Dept. got the warrant to search Seth's company, PDQ Arm & Prop.

Presumably, they want to see if the fatal round matches those in the can of live ammo from a couple months ago. The judge signed off, giving detectives the greenlight to scoop up the potential evidence.

And, there's this ... according to the docs, cops also spoke to "Rust" prop master, Sarah Zachry, who said she checked the ammo box -- after Halyna was shot -- and found some bullets that rattled, indicating they're dummy rounds, and others that didn't. That led her to believe there were even more live rounds in the ammo box.

Remember, Hannah's attorneys floated a theory that someone, perhaps a disgruntled crew member, intentionally brought live bullets on set to sabotage the production -- but D.A. Mary Carmack-Altwies has said she isn't buying that.

Ex-UCF star football player Otis Anderson Jr. was allegedly shot and killed by his dad on Monday night ... after the two had gotten into an argument over a dog bite.

It's all spelled out in new police documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, in which cops say Otis Jr.'s mom, Denise Anderson, told them the whole, violent altercation started after her son's girlfriend's dog had bitten Otis Anderson Sr.

Cops say Denise told them Otis Sr. was so enraged over the bloody wound caused by the dog -- he and Otis Jr. proceeded to get into a verbal altercation.

Denise claimed the two were eventually separated when she told Otis Jr. to go upstairs ... but cops say she then got into an argument with Otis Sr., one in which Otis Sr. flipped over a recliner, causing Otis Jr. to come back downstairs to check on his mom.

When Otis Jr. made it back downstairs, cops say Denise told them the father and son "got into another verbal altercation and it appeared like they were going to fight."

It's unclear exactly what happened next -- the report was heavily redacted by police -- but in the docs, cops note when they arrived on the scene, they found Otis Jr. suffering from "at least one gunshot wound to the chest."

The cops also noted in the docs Denise was "suffering from multiple graze wounds."

Officers say Otis. Jr. was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, while Denise was treated for her wounds at the facility and later released.

In the docs, cops say they eventually arrested Anderson Sr. and booked him on charges of murder and attempted murder.

Jail records show he's still currently in custody.

As we reported, the NFL community is mourning the loss of Otis Jr. -- who signed with the Los Angeles Rams earlier this season before getting cut in September -- with stars like Jalen Ramsey and Micah Parsons expressing sadness over the situation.

UCF has also commented on the tragedy, saying in a statement, "He was revered by his teammates, our fans, and everyone within Knight Nation."

"Our deepest condolences go out to everyone who loved Otis. He was taken too soon and will truly be missed."

Aaron Carter thinks his family is actively working to place him under a conservatorship ... and he claims they've been going behind his back and talking to his now-ex to do so.

Aaron tells TMZ ... he was FaceTiming with his friend Monday and was told his fiancee Melanie Martin regularly communicates with his twin sister, Angel Conrad, a revelation that felt like betrayal.

Remember, Aaron is estranged from his family -- in 2019 Angel got a restraining order against him after claiming he threatened to send hitmen to her door -- and he tells us Melanie knew he did not want her talking to his fam.

Aaron and Melanie have an on-again-off-again relationship, and every time they broke up he claims his family would reach out to her and see if she was OK ... but he thinks they weren't being nice, there were ulterior motives.

The way Aaron sees it ... his family is trying to gain an ally in Melanie as part of a plan to get a conservatorship over him, using her to gather information for the case.

However, Melanie tells TMZ .. she doesn’t believe his family is trying to get a conservatorship and they never grilled her on info.

Aaron says he confronted Melanie after Monday's FaceTime and claims she denied talking to his family initially, but then admitted it was true and copped to communicating with them.

Sources close to Aaron's brother, Nick Carter, tell TMZ … Nick and his wife, Lauren, have no part in wanting to put Aaron under a conservatorship, and they haven't talked to Melanie because they have no relationship with Aaron or Melanie.

We're told people close to Nick see this as another way of Aaron trying to bring Nick and his family down.

As we reported ... Aaron and Melanie split early Tuesday morning, only one week after the birth of their son.

Aaron says Melanie wouldn't tell him what she's been talking to his family about ... and that's why he decided to end their relationship. With a newborn baby, Aaron says the timing of the split is unfortunate ... but he says it's his life and he feels like he's being taken advantage of.

Virgil Abloh is getting a nod from his hometown, with nothing less than his own day to be recognized going forward ... TMZ has learned.

A rep for the City of Rockford, IL tells TMZ ... city officials are dubbing Wednesday, Dec. 1, as Virgil Abloh Day. There's no real significance in the day itself, we're told, other than them wanting to pay tribute to the Louis Vuitton artistic director as soon as possible.

The rep says Mayor McNamara will make the official announcement tomorrow, where he'll read the proclamation drafted for Virgil Abloh Day.

As for why they're even doing this in the first place ... we're told Rockford brass feel like it's warranted considering VA's impact on the community, especially the youth. The guy set a great example for citizens there, and they want to celebrate his contributions with something legit.

We're told Virgil's family was notified and thrilled with the news, but it's unclear if they'll be in attendance for Wednesday's ceremony.

Like we told you ... Virgil died over the weekend after succumbing to cancer -- a disease he was battling privately for years. His passing sent shockwaves all over the entertainment industry, as the man had lots of friends and influence in high places.

He was 41.

Matthew McConaughey may have chickened out in running for Texas Governor, but we've learned Dr. Mehmet Oz is going full bore in Pennsylvania ... because our sources say he has decided to run for a U.S. Senate seat.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Dr. Oz has just made a multi-million dollar media buy in the state ... a media buy to push his impending candidacy.

Oz appeared on TMZ Live recently and was coy about running, but he sounded like he was leaning in that direction. Since then, we've learned he now has a full campaign staff, including Chris Hansen -- not the Chris Hansen from "To Catch a Predator" -- to manage the campaign. Hansen ran the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Dr. Oz will run as a Republican for Pat Toomey's seat ... Toomey is retiring.

As for his show, we haven't gotten official word, but it's likely Dr. Oz will step back from the talk show -- at least, over the next few months.

Former UCF football star Otis Anderson Jr. reportedly died on Monday night ... after he was shot during an altercation in Florida.

He was just 23 years old.

According to News4JAX, Anderson Jr. was shot during a domestic dispute that went down at around 9:30 p.m. in Jacksonville -- and he later died at a nearby hospital.

Cops said, according to News4JAX, that a woman was also shot in the altercation, but survived.

Details surrounding the incident are unclear -- but cops did say, according to News4JAX, that it appears all of the people involved were related.

Anderson Jr. -- who's not related to ex-New York Giants star Ottis Anderson -- was an outstanding football player for the Knights from 2017 to 2020.

Playing both wideout and running back, Otis piled up 2,182 rushing yards, 1,025 receiving yards and 26 total touchdowns. He did not get picked in the 2021 NFL Draft, but did sign with the Rams in the offseason.

He remained with L.A. until he was cut in September.

Reports of his death have hit the NFL community hard, with Rams star Jalen Ramsey saying on his Twitter page Tuesday, "Rest in Heaven Otis. We gotta do better on this earth smh. Big prayers up."

Added Dallas Cowboys star rookie Micah Parsons, "S*** sad!! Sending prayers to all."

El Chapo's wife will see time behind bars -- but it'll be way less than her hubby's life sentence.

Emma Coronel Aispuro was sentenced to 3 years in prison Tuesday for her role in Chapo's drug empire -- significantly less time than what many people expected she'd get, which was somewhere in the ballpark of around 10 years, if not more.

Of course, she had prosecutors pushing for a fairly lenient sentence on account of her cooperation and plea deal -- but it was unclear if the judge would still go easy on her. Seems the court felt her crimes she pled guilty to weren't worth more than a few years in prison.

She'll also have 4 years of supervised release and a forfeiture judgment of $1,499,970 representing proceeds of and property gained by Aispuro as a result of the crimes.

As we reported ... Coronel Aispuro copped a plea deal earlier this year after getting busted for drug trafficking at the Dulles International Airport in Virginia. She pled guilty to money laundering and conspiracy to distribute cocaine, meth, heroin and marijuana.

Her attorneys argued (apparently with some success) that El Chapo's spouse was not a ring leader of any sort, nor was she intricately involved in her husband's operation at a key level. They also claimed she only participated because she had no other choice.

Aaron Carter and his fiancee are no more -- just a week after they became first-time parents together -- and it appears more Carter family drama is to blame for the split.

Aaron announced he and Melanie Martin called it quits early Tuesday morning, saying, "There has been a very big lie and my sister communicating w my ex fiancé ruined everything considering she knew what angel tried to do to me in court thanks angel you ruined my family. God bless."

As we've reported, Aaron's had serious beef with his family, including with his twin sister, Angel, who he's apparently learned has been in regular communication with Melanie.

Aaron continues, "I have the most conniving deceiving family and Melanie has been lying to me the whole time communicating with my twin sister and the family members who tried to put me in prison and who tried to get a conservatorship on me in court. I’m in shocked this is horrible."

What's more, at least according to Aaron, Melanie is leaving California and taking the couple's son with her. He says she's leaving for Vegas with a friend named Carmen from "90 Day Fiance" and accuses Melanie of having had the backup plan all along.

As we reported, Aaron and Melanie welcomed Prince Lyric Carter last Monday after an emergency c-section and 13 hours of labor.

At the time, Aaron said of Melanie, "I’m so proud of you hunny you did it I Love you with all my heart my beautiful blessings from god."

Travis Scott's seemingly genuine gesture of wanting to cover burial costs for those killed as a result of his Astroworld Festival has been turned down by the show's youngest victim.

The family of 9-year-old Ezra Blount -- who was allegedly trampled at the concert, and later died from his injuries -- is rejecting the rapper's offer to pay for the funeral ... this according to their attorney, Bob Hilliard, who just filed suit against Scott on behalf of the Blounts.

In a letter, obtained by Rolling Stone, Hilliard writes ... "Your client’s offer is declined. I have no doubt Mr. Scott feels remorse. His journey ahead will be painful. He must face and hopefully see that he bears some of the responsibility for this tragedy."

Blount was laid to rest in a private ceremony last week ... after he was taken off life support a few weeks following the tragedy in early November. Ezra became the 10th person in the death toll, with hundreds more injured.

This rejection came in response to an olive branch extended by Travis' attorney, Daniel Petrocelli, who sent the Blounts the funeral expense offer on behalf of his client, writing ... "Travis is committed to doing his part to help the families who have suffered and begin the long process of healing in the Houston community. Toward that end, Travis would like to pay for the funeral expenses for Mr. Blount’s son."

Tiger Woods would not revisit his infamous car crash with reporters on Tuesday ... saying he believes all of his memories of the wreck and all of the intricate details of it have already been discussed.

"All those answers have been answered in the investigation," said Woods, who addressed a room full of media members for the first time since the February accident.

"So, you can read about all of that there, in the police report."

It's been over 9 months since Woods suffered comminuted open fractures to his right leg in a horrific Feb. 23 car crash near Los Angeles -- and even though a detailed police report has been publicly released, there are still many questions that remain.

Tiger, though, clearly wanted no part of shedding light on those while on the podium in the Bahamas at the Hero World Challenge ... adding that he does not have flashbacks to the terrifying scene.

"I don't, no," Woods said. "I'm very lucky in that way."

As we previously reported, cops say the violent crash was all caused by Woods' speed -- saying they believe the golfer was going over 80 MPH in a 45 MPH zone just before the accident.

Cops say they do not believe Woods was under the influence of alcohol or drugs -- saying in the report he exhibited no signs of impairment. They also said there were no open alcohol containers in the vehicle, no odors of booze and no prescription pills found at the scene.

In the report, cops also say video showed Tiger moving well and appearing to be completely coherent as he left his hotel minutes before the crash.

An episode of "The Simpsons" that lasers in on oppression in China has mysteriously disappeared from Disney+ in Hong Kong ... but there are clues as to who caused it to be yanked.

The episode -- titled "Goo Goo Gai Pan" -- aired in 2005, chronicling the Simpsons' trip to China. One of the main plotlines .... Marge's sister, Selma, is there to adopt a baby, but the infant is yanked from her arms by a Chinese official.

In another scene, the fam visits Tiananmen Square ... the legendary scene of protest, violence and defiance. A sign in the Square reads, "On this site, in 1989, nothing happened."  It's a not-so-subtle dig at China trying to sanitize what actually went down.

Tibet is also part of the show -- where religious oppression reigned supreme at the hands of Beijing.

The island of Barbados is now an independent republic, and one of its leaders' first orders of business is crowning homegrown jewel, Rihanna ... a national treasure.

Monday marked an historic milestone for the Caribbean nation, as Queen Elizabeth II was removed as the head of state there and Barbados became its own independent body for the first time. It also served as an induction, of sorts, for RiRi -- who was dubbed an official national hero.

Prime Minister Mia Mottley -- who serves separately from the newly elected President, Sandra Mason -- bestowed Rihanna with the title, saying she had "commanded the imagination of the world through the pursuit of excellence with her creativity, her discipline, and above all else, her extraordinary commitment to the land of her birth."

Rihanna has done a lot for Barbados in several capacities -- not only does she rep her home in her music and elsewhere, but she's also served as an ambassador since 2018. Besides this latest honor, they've showered her with other accolades and gestures over the years -- including naming a street after her.

She's just the 11th Barbadian in history to be deemed a national hero.

Meanwhile, the rest of Barbados was celebrating the fact it no longer has to operate under the monarchy going forward, which was a long time coming. The island declared independence from the U.K. back in 1966, but remained one of its Commonwealth Nations.

For what it's worth ... the Royal Family was fully in support, sending Prince Charles down to make a speech praising Barbados' freedom -- a move that got mixed reactions due to the history of slavery and exploitation established by his ancestor, King James I, in 1625.

Barbados will continue to operate within the Commonwealth.

WWE boss Vince McMahon is opening up about a contentious 20-year-old HBO interview he did with Bob Costas ... saying if Costas were bigger, the two would have come to blows.

The revelation was made in Jim Miller's new book Tinderbox: HBO's Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers ... where both McMahon and Costas recalled the combative convo that apparently left a bitter taste in Vince's mouth even to this day.

During the 2001 interview, Costas drilled Vince with a wide range of questions on everything from the XFL's ratings to certain aspects of WWE that he found distasteful ... and, well, McMahon wasn't too thrilled about it.

“Once we were doing the interview, he kept interrupting me and interrupting me, and bringing up topics that had nothing to do with what we were supposed to be talking about,” McMahon said.

“He kept trying to do the ‘I gotcha’ kind of thing. It was clear he didn’t want to hear any of my answers."

The interview got so heated at one point, that McMahon actually sat up in his chair, told Costas to shut his mouth ... and accused the legendary sportscaster of not knowing what he was talking about.

“The other problem was that Bob is so freaking pompous. The entire time he acted like he was above me and was just using me to show how great he was," Vince said.

"I was sitting there really pissed off and started thinking, I wish he wasn’t 5-feet high and 140 pounds. If he was 6-5 and 295, he would deserve to get the s**t beat out of him. I could have really given them some great television.”

Speaking of great TV ... Costas admits he knew the two were having a memorable moment, but contends his questions were coming from a legitimate place and not a malicious one.

McMahon was so furious over it all that he stormed off after the interview ... slamming doors in the process, according to Costas.

The two would go on to have another interview a year later ... however, that encounter was far less memorable than the first one.

Ye's on a mission to help the homeless population of Los Angeles, meeting with charitable organizations and coming up with strategies he believes can help to ease the growing problem in the city.

As we'd shown you ... Kanye stopped by the L.A. Mission to drop off 1,000 meals last week but turns out he also took time to meet with the people in charge. We're told during his sit-down with Reverend Troy Vaughn, CEO of L.A. Mission, Ye laid out 4 ways he believes he can help the homeless.

First, Kanye wants to create a plan to continue feeding the unhoused by establishing a working relationship with orgs across the city. He also wants to use his own companies to help provide education, jobs and housing.

Ye believes he can use his platform and Sunday Service to inspire and uplift the homeless community in L.A. in only ways his artistry has been able to do with others.

Finally, Kanye wants to partner with other groups tackling the crisis and combine their efforts with his ability to provide a bold and innovative vision for the future. Together, he believes they can eliminate the homeless situation.

As we reported, Kanye also spoke to those in attendance at the mission, saying he believes God will bring him and Kim Kardashian back together ... inspiring millions of couples in the process.

Of course, the homeless population in L.A. has only grown since the start of the pandemic, with lawmakers and citizens looking for ways to help those in need.

The recent string of mass shopliftings in retail, high-end and jewelry stores has corporations desperate for a way to stop thieves, and one new strategy seems to have done just that ... resulting in several arrests.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Lululemon Athletica has been putting tracking devices on store merchandise -- not necessarily to stop the theft from happening, but to recover lost goods after the crime takes place.

We're told as a result of the trackers, police were recently able to track down several women in a vehicle in Orange County, shortly after they'd hit a Lululemon store in Los Angeles.

Cops recovered around $15,000 worth of stolen Lulu gear when they pulled over the vehicle ... along with another $5,000 in goods stolen from other stores in the area.

As we've reported, it was just last week when a Louis Vuitton store was ransacked in a San Francisco smash-and-grab that looked like it was out of a movie ... with the alleged thieves scrambling to waiting vehicles.

Another flash-rob happened at an L.A. area LV store recently as well.

Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim enjoyed his final days doing what he loved ... checking out theater productions in person, including one of his classic masterpieces.

TMZ obtained this video of Stephen slowly making his way to his seat inside the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre in New York City earlier this month, where he saw "Company."

Stephen famously wrote the show's music and lyrics way back in 1970, and the play is going back on Broadway. He was front and center on Nov. 15 for one of the revived play's preview performances.

Folks who were there tell us Stephen looked a little frail but seemed to be in great spirits ... and as you can see in the video, it was an effort for him to get to his seat.

We're told Stephen needed help getting to his feet for the minutes-long standing ovation at the end of the play, but he clapped along from his fifth-row seat.

Stephen's presence was a big deal ... Patti LuPone, who is playing the part of Joanne, couldn't hold back tears as she told Stephen the cast was dedicating the performance that night to him.