Alec Baldwin's 'prop firearm' kills one, injures another

Sheriff's office: Alec Baldwin discharged prop gun that killed crew member, wounded director

Baldwin is one of the film's star actors and producers. He went to the sheriff's office willingly and provided a statement to investigators, sheriff's office spokesman Juan Ríos said.

www.santafenewmexican.com

archive.md/jNQZQ

Actor Alec Baldwin discharged a "prop firearm" that killed a cinematographer and injured a the director of the movie Rust, being filmed on a set south of Santa Fe, a county sheriff's office spokesman said late Thursday.

Halyna Hutchins, 42 and the director of photography for the movie, died at University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque. The film's director, Joel Souza, was hospitalized in Santa Fe, Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office spokesman Juan Ríos said.

A source closed to the investigation said Baldwin, 63, was questioned by investigators late Thursday and was seen by a New Mexican reporter and photographer in tears.

Investigators are still trying to determine if the incident was an accident, Ríos said. No charges have been filed, and the investigation remains open, Ríos wrote in a news release.

The prop was fired at Bonanza Creek Ranch, where filming was underway, the sheriff's office said in an early evening news release. Baldwin stars in the production.

Hutchins died from her injuries after she was flown to University of New Mexico Hospital, according to the sheriff's office. Souza was taken to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, where he is receiving emergency care, the sheriff's office said. Attempts to get comment from Baldwin were unsuccessful.

“We received the devastating news this evening, that one of our members, Halyna Hutchins, the Director of Photography on a production called ‘Rust’ in New Mexico died from injuries sustained on the set,” John Lindley, the president of the International Cinematographers Guild Local 600, and Rebecca Rhine, the executive director, said in a statement, as reported by Variety. “The details are unclear at this moment, but we are working to learn more, and we support a full investigation into this tragic event. This is a terrible loss, and we mourn the passing of a member of our Guild’s family.”

Deputies were investigating how the accident occurred and "what type of projectile was discharged," the sheriff's office said in an earlier news release.

Rust Movie Productions did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Filming for Rust was set to continue into early November, according to a news release from the New Mexico Film Office. It's described as the story of a 13-year-old boy left to fend for himself and his younger brother following the death of their parents in 1880s Kansas, with New Mexico doubling for Kansas.

Guns firing blanks have been blamed for deaths in past movie productions. Online Hollywood news site Deadline reported, "Actor Jon-Erik Hexum was killed Oct. 18, 1984, on the set of the TV series Cover Up when he accidentally shot himself in the head with a gun loaded with blanks. And in 1993, Brandon Lee, the son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, died after he was shot in the head by a gun firing blanks on the set of The Crow. Both incidents were determined to have been accidents."

This is a developing story and will be updated.

 

[clipartfan92]

'Rust' weapons supervisor charged with dumping drugs on day of Alec Baldwin shooting
Associated Press (archive.ph)
By Andrew Dalton
2023-06-22 23:30:14GMT

The weapons supervisor charged with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of a cinematographer on the New Mexico set of the Alec Baldwin film “Rust” was charged Thursday with evidence tampering for allegedly passing drugs to someone else on the day of the shooting.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed “did transfer narcotics to another person with the intent to prevent the apprehension, prosecution or conviction of herself.” the special prosecutors appointed in the case said in a Santa Fe County court filing. They gave no further details.

Gutierrez-Reed’s attorney Jason Bowles called the move “retaliatory and vindictive.”

“It is shocking that after 20 months of investigation, the special prosecutor now throws in a completely new charge against Ms. Gutierrez Reed, with no prior notice or any witness statements, lab reports, or evidence to support it,” Bowles said in a statement.

Gutierrez-Reed is the sole remaining defendant in the case after prosecutors in April dropped an involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin, who was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal when it went off, killed her and injured director Joel Souza on Oct. 21, 2021. Prosecutors can still refile charges against Baldwin.

The new charge comes a week after prosecutors alleged in a court filing that Gutierrez-Reed was drinking and smoking marijuana in the evenings during the filming of “Rust” and was likely hungover on the day a live bullet was placed into the gun Baldwin used.

Bowles called that allegation “character assassination” from prosecutors with a weak case that the defense has asked a judge to dismiss.

In his own filing Thursday, Bowles revealed that he had been accidentally included on an email to District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies from her lead investigator in the case, who slammed the law enforcement response to the shooting.

“The conduct of the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office during and after their initial investigation is reprehensible and unprofessional to a degree I still have no words for,” Robert Schilling wrote in the email, in which he said he will be stepping down so special prosecutors can use their own investigator. “Not I or 200 more proficient investigators than I can/could clean up the mess delivered to your office.”

Bowles said in his filing that the email demonstrates the weakness of the case against his client. He said it suggests that the prosecution has been withholding evidence from the defense.

Emails seeking comment from the Sheriff’s Office and the special prosecutors were not immediately returned.

 

[clipartfan92]

‘Rust’ Armorer Passed Off Cocaine After Shooting, Prosecutors Say
The New York Times (archive.ph)
By Julia Jacobs
2023-06-30 19:37:53GMT


New details emerged about the evidence-tampering charge against Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the original armorer on the film “Rust.”Credit...via Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office

Prosecutors in New Mexico said in a court filing Thursday that the armorer who loaded the gun on the set of the film “Rust” before it went off during a rehearsal, killing the cinematographer, transferred a small bag of cocaine to someone after she was interviewed by police on the day of the fatal shooting.

The armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the case. Last week, prosecutors added a new evidence tampering charge, accusing her of passing drugs to another person to avoid criminal prosecution.

The prosecutors, Kari T. Morrissey and Jason J. Lewis, gave new details about the evidence tampering charge in a request to a judge asking that their key witness — the person who says Ms. Gutierrez-Reed handed the cocaine off to them — have their identity protected initially.

The filing referred to the witness only as S1. The filing said that the witness “will testify that the defendant transferred a small bag of cocaine to S1 on the evening of Oct. 21, 2021, after the defendant returned from her interview at the police station on the day of the fatal shooting.”

The witness, who was described as an employee in the film industry, has concerns about being “blacklisted” and pestered by the media if their name is revealed, the filing said. The prosecutors acknowledged that the witness’s identity would have to be revealed eventually.

In a statement on Friday, a lawyer for Ms. Gutierrez-Reed, Jason Bowles, questioned the sudden introduction of a new witness 20 months after the shooting.

“And the state won’t identify the person?” Mr. Bowles said in the statement. “This is a throwback to the secret, star chamber prosecutions in England in the 15th century that were abolished. Like everything else with the state’s case and investigation, it’s full of sound and fury, but signifying nothing.”

Mr. Bowles has said that his client plans to plead not guilty to both charges against her.

The actor Alec Baldwin was rehearsing drawing an old-fashioned revolver from a shoulder holster when the gun, which was not supposed to be loaded with live ammunition, discharged. It fired a live round that killed the cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, and injured the movie’s director, Joel Souza.

After the shooting, Ms. Gutierrez-Reed sat for an interview with investigators from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, telling them that she had loaded the Long Colt revolver that day with what she believed to have been six dummy rounds, meaning inert cartridges used to appear like real rounds in close-up camera shots.

After that interview, prosecutors allege, Ms. Gutierrez-Reed handed off the bag of cocaine.

“The circumstances of the transfer of evidence strongly support the charge that the defendant transferred the cocaine to avoid prosecution,” the filing said, “and prevent law enforcement from obtaining highly inculpatory evidence directly related to the defendant’s handling of the firearm and the circumstances of the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins.”

Mr. Baldwin had initially been charged with involuntary manslaughter, but prosecutors dismissed the case against him after learning that the gun may have been modified in a way that would have made it easier to discharge.

The conduct of the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office was recently criticized by an investigator who was leaving the district attorney’s office. The investigator, Robert Shilling, wrote in a June 20 email to colleagues that “their initial investigation is reprehensible and unprofessional to a degree I still have no words for.”

Mr. Shilling, the former chief of the New Mexico State Police, accidentally sent the email to Mr. Bowles, the defense lawyer, as well. Mr. Shilling later declined to elaborate on the email, saying he was bound by a nondisclosure agreement, and the sheriff’s office declined to comment.

A judge is set to determine in August whether the charges against Ms. Gutierrez-Reed can go forward.

 

[make_it_so]

Charges against Alec Baldwin could be refiled as forensic report shows trigger on gun used in ‘Rust’ shooting had to be pulled​

(Article)/(Archive)
By Jamiel Lynch, CNN
Updated 1:21 PM EDT, Wed August 16, 2023

(CNN) —
Independent testing on the weapon used in the fatal 2021 shooting on the set of the film “Rust” shows the trigger had to be pulled, the gun fired normally and it did not malfunction, according to a report filed in court, raising the possibility charges could be refiled against actor Alec Baldwin.

“The fired evidence cartridge is the consequence of a normal hammer fall from the fully cocked position of the hammer,” the report compiled by Forensic Science Services of Arizona states.
The report was filed as part of a defense motion on behalf of the film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, who is charged with tampering with the gun used in the shooting as well as two counts of involuntary manslaughter.

Baldwin has maintained he pulled back the gun’s hammer as far as he could without cocking the gun and released the hammer – but did not pull the trigger. CNN’s calls to him for comment on the report were not immediately returned.

The October 2021 shooting on a New Mexico film set killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza. They were struck by a live round of ammunition fired from a prop gun held by Baldwin while rehearsing a scene, officials have said.

The new testing by examiners in New Mexico was conducted using a replacement “hammer, trigger/sear and bolt,” according to their report, rather than the gun’s original components. The weapon – broken during tests run by the FBI and inoperable when Forensic Science Services got it – then was returned to operable condition.

Involuntary manslaughter charges against Baldwin lodged in January were dismissed in April, when special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis said charges could be refiled. A final decision has not been made, Morrissey told CNN on Wednesday.

“The charges against Alec Baldwin were dismissed without prejudice because a possible malfunction of the gun significantly affects causation with regard to Baldwin, not with regard to Gutierrez. If it is determined that the gun did not malfunction, charges against Mr. Baldwin will proceed,” with “a final charging decision … within the next sixty days,” prosecutors said in a June court filing.

If a new charge is filed against Baldwin, the actor’s defense team likely would focus on the structural integrity of the gun at the time of the shooting.

“Although Alec Baldwin repeatedly denies pulling the trigger, given the tests, findings and observations reported here, the trigger had to be pulled or depressed sufficiently to release the fully cocked or retracted hammer of the evidence revolver,” the report states.

“If the hammer had not been fully retracted to the rear and were to slip from the handler’s thumb without the trigger depressed, the half cock or quarter cock notches in the hammer should have prevented the firing pin from reaching any cartridge in the firing chamber,” it reads.

“From an examination of the fired cartridge case and the operationally restored evidence revolver, this fatal incident was the consequence of the hammer being manually retracted to its fully rearward and cocked position followed, at some point, by the pull or rearward depression of the trigger,” the report said.

“The only conceivable alternative to the foregoing would be a situation in which the trigger was already pulled or held rearward while retracting the hammer to its full cock position. Although unlikely and totally contrary to the normal operation of these single action revolvers, such improper handling, would result in the discharge of a live cartridge,” it added.

Investigators have not determined how and why live rounds were on the set of the movie.

CNN’s Jeremy Harlan and Josh Campbell contributed to this report.

 

[greenthrowaway]

Every time I see this thread bumped I think Baldwin has somehow killed again.

 

[White Devil]

No shit that the trigger on a revolver has to be pulled to go off.

 

[Billy Bob Dick]

No shit that the trigger on a revolver has to be pulled to go off.

Baldwin has maintained he pulled back the gun’s hammer as far as he could without cocking the gun and released the hammer – but did not pull the trigger.

it sounds to me like this numbnuts had his finger on the trigger while he was pulling back the hammer

 

[White Devil]

it sounds to me like this numbnuts had his finger on the trigger while he was pulling back the hammer

You would think he would know better given that he's been in a shitload of movies where he's handling guns and the armorers would have given him instruction.

 

[ForTheHoard]

No shit that the trigger on a revolver has to be pulled to go off.

It actually depended on how true to life their weapons were. The original 1873 revolver had the firing pin fixed to the hammer, so if you were drawing it back and it slipper over a loaded chamber, it could accidently discharge a round. That's why people that carried fix firing pin revolvers only carried 5 rounds and let the hammer down on an empty chamber. Modern versions of these pistols don't have the pin attached to the hammer. The firing pin floats behind the cylinder, but the hammer isn't long enough to hit it, so even if your finger slips while cocking the hammer, the gun can't go off because the pin is never impacted. When you squeeze the trigger, it raises up a small steel bar that sits between the hammer and pin, so when the hammer falls, it hits the bar which hits the pin. If they were using a modern version (which they should since its a lot safer), then it would be impossible for the hammer to hit the firing pin without the trigger being pulled.

Any investigator worth their salt would have known this after the first inspection of the gun. I'm also pretty sure Kiwi Farms had all of this broken down within the first 15 pages of the thread. The fact that it took the experts this long to come to an obvious conclusion looks like they've been botching this investigation on purpose.

 

[White Devil]

It actually depended on how true to life their weapons were. The original 1873 revolver had the firing pin fixed to the hammer, so if you were drawing it back and it slipper over a loaded chamber, it could accidently discharge a round. That's why people that carried fix firing pin revolvers only carried 5 rounds and let the hammer down on an empty chamber. Modern versions of these pistols don't have the pin attached to the hammer. The firing pin floats behind the cylinder, but the hammer isn't long enough to hit it, so even if your finger slips while cocking the hammer, the gun can't go off because the pin is never impacted. When you squeeze the trigger, it raises up a small steel bar that sits between the hammer and pin, so when the hammer falls, it hits the bar which hits the pin. If they were using a modern version (which they should since its a lot safer), then it would be impossible for the hammer to hit the firing pin without the trigger being pulled.

Any investigator worth their salt would have known this after the first inspection of the gun. I'm also pretty sure Kiwi Farms had all of this broken down within the first 15 pages of the thread. The fact that it took the experts this long to come to an obvious conclusion looks like they've been botching this investigation on purpose.

I didn't know that about the 1873 but I'm not a revolver sperg by any means. Thank you for the info.

 

[ArthuriusMartyrius]

Oh wow, looks like the murderer may actually get his comeuppance after all.

 

[Mr. Zed da Robot Poon Fed]

It took them this long to figure this out?

Holy shit, we're fucked.

 

[WonderWino]

It took them this long to figure this out?

Holy shit, we're fucked.

No, this was known a long time ago and someone in this thread posted a statement where it flat out stated forensics already had determined he had to have pulled the trigger to fire. So I don't know why the media seems to think this is new information

That said, I don't believe for a second alec baldwin is going to be re-charged over it. They already blame the armorer for the whole thing while ignoring his part in it

 

[East_Clintwood]

If it is determined that the gun did not malfunction, charges against Mr. Baldwin will proceed,” with “a final charging decision … within the next sixty days,” prosecutors said in a June court filing.

Except the original report which you've had for fucking months already stated it couldn't have been a malfunction. In fact the reason it was broken when it got to the independent testers is because the FBI had to use so much force when testing it, in an effort to see if there was any way to fire without the trigger being pulled, that they broke it.

 

[Übertroon]

Every time I see this thread bumped I think Baldwin has somehow killed again.

He can't keep getting away with it!

 

[BelUwUga]

You would think he would know better given that he's been in a shitload of movies where he's handling guns and the armorers would have given him instruction.

Pretty "simple" mistake for someone to make. If you're not practiced, and you have your finger on the trigger, it is fairly easy to mistake gripping with three fingers to pull the hammer back with all four gripping. It's one of the main reasons they made the design changes @ForTheHoard mentions. Plus there's even further design developments that make the trigger only work when the hammer is cocked back and the trigger is not pressed. Outside that condition and without that tension, there is no connection between the trigger and those mechanisms. You shouldn't have your booger-hook on the bang switch but it's a problem that is still rampant. If someone is only familiar with modern firearms where this isn't possible, they may not have even realized they were making this mistake before.

Frankly I would split the liability between production/Alec and the armorer. A weapon like this shouldn't be used unless a hammer-fan is specifically called for, and there needs to be intense focus on the lack of safety features that enable that. It's an error that calls for a lot of training and deference to the trainer to really get. But when you're going out of state to avoid best practices and trying to save by hiring an armorer you can big-league, you don't get to assign all the blame to the cut-rate person you chose. The armorer should have washed their hands of this apparent clown show. Regardless, you'd be looking at a "harmless" ND into nothing, or minor ricochet injuries, if Alec had followed the cardinal rule of not pointing a gun at a person he had no intention of shooting. There's nothing they could have wanted to accomplish where a person had to be in the line of fire. Productions sorted this out in the age of mirrors and actual film being used. With modern cameras and the ability to have remote monitors/controls, it's inexcusable.

 

[Terrifik]

The Wheel of Justice is slow but we have arrived back to start.

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/17/prosecutors-investigating-rust-shooting-intend-to-bring-involuntary-manslaughter-charge-against-alec-baldwin-before-a-grand-jury.html

New Mexico prosecutors intend to recharge actor Alec Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the fatal 2021 “Rust” shooting, two sources familiar with the matter tells NBC News.

The source adds that Baldwin’s case will be brought before a grand jury in mid-November. There had been recent discussions of a plea deal, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

NBC News has reached out to the special prosecutors assigned to the case as well as Baldwin’s attorneys for comment.

This charge could carry up to 18 months in prison if convicted.

This latest news comes 5 months after special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis dismissed this same charge against Baldwin citing “new facts” in the case. At the time they released a statement reserving the right to re-charge Baldwin stating, “This decision does not absolve Mr. Baldwin of criminal culpability and charges may be refiled.”

The case centers on an incident on the “Rust” film set in October 2021, in which Baldwin’s prop gun fired a live round of ammunition, killing the film’s cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.
Baldwin has maintained in interviews with both ABC News and CNN that he did not pull the trigger.

“I feel that someone is responsible for what happened, and I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me,” Baldwin said in an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in December 2021.

When the involuntary manslaughter charges were dropped earlier this year, prosecutors said the gun might have been modified before the shooting and malfunctioned. A gun analysis report commissioned by the special prosecutors released in August found that the gun had not been modified.

The film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, was also charged in January with involuntary manslaughter. In August it was announced that a new trial date had been set for Reed and has been pushed back to February 21, 2024.

Reed’s attorney Jason Bowles has previously said that Reed will plead not guilty. NBC News has reached out to Bowles for further comment and has not yet heard back.

At the time of the original charges, Baldwin’s attorney Luke Nikas called it “a terrible miscarriage of justice.”

In June, Hutchins’ husband settled a wrongful death suit between Baldwin and “Rust” producers. Production on “Rust” resumed this spring and Hutchins serves as an executive producer on the project.

“All of us believe Halyna’s death was a terrible accident. I am grateful that the producers and the entertainment community have come together to pay tribute to Halyna’s final work,” Hutchins’ widower said after the settlement

 

[East_Clintwood]

The Wheel of Justice is slow but we have arrived back to start.

Let's hope this time the prosecutors manage to not go full retard and fuck it up this time.

When the involuntary manslaughter charges were dropped earlier this year, prosecutors said the gun might have been modified before the shooting and malfunctioned. A gun analysis report commissioned by the special prosecutors released in August found that the gun had not been modified.

Why do they keep pushing this meme report? The actual FBI report was published a fucking year before this shit, and explicitly said there was nothing wrong with the gun:

 

[WonderWino]

They already dropped those charges once, there is no way they won't do it again

 

[Kulee Baba]

They already dropped those charges once, there is no way they won't do it again

If they then just drop it again I'm going to switch to being on TEAMALEC and hope he gets the prosecutors fired. Either charge him or don't.

Unless you're telling me there's some new breaking evidence, which I would find hard to believe.

 

[Get the rope Macaulay!]

two things 1. if trump was reelected Alec probably wouldn't have been on set to do a murder that day 2. Alec's filmography post murder is fucking sparse. I know he had quite a varied career and was always just an extremely popular character actor but holy shit its been two years and his career is fucking no where. he has 7 kids to support and he's easily made fuck all in terms of money in 2022 or 2023. Is he just blacklisted at this point? You really telling me there wasn't some streaming service willing to throw money at him for some bullshit comedy the last two years?