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.

 

[kcbbq]

You think that Baldwin would know shit about firearms and firearm safety?
He's a progressive liberal. Guns to him are evil. Even though half the film he's been in use them.
Real firearms are what other people use to protect him.

Guns don't kill people. Alec Baldwin kills people.

 

[Reporterward]

Why is it not standard practice for an actor to confirm a weapon is unloaded when they are told it is cold? I can see maybe if it is hot and has blanks in it. But if it is supposed to have nothing in it, you aren't going to fuck it up by checking.

Supposedly Baldwin thought it was cold, with not even blanks in it. Add in a stuntman supposedly negligently discharging a blank when they thought it was cold and that practice alone would have stopped 3 incidents and saved a life.

You are handling a gun. You have the final responsibility for what you do with it.

Because actors are animals with the emotional intelligence of a 13-year old girl.

But mostly it is a safety and chain of custody thing. These actors literally are told to break all four of the cardinal firearms safety rules like pointing a gun at someone and pulling the trigger.
There are safety concerns as to whether the gun is empty, has blanks, or has “dummy” rounds, an inert round that “looks” real so you can get shots of a “loaded” revolver or the actor loading the weapon with a “dummy” round.
This also deals with mundane issues like choreographing a scene or continuity. (Did I fire six shots or only five).

 

[Jaded Optimist]

On top of that fabric is filler, could be paper, sand, something light weight that will lose velocity quickly once it leaves the barrel of the firearm

Sorry to reply to an older post, but florist foam works really well.

 

[Art Kassul]

More coverage from the LA Times. Quoting the “New” bits.

'Rust' crew describes on-set gun safety issues and misfires days before fatal shooting

At least one of the camera operators complained last weekend to production managers about gun safety on the set.

www.latimes.com

“Safety protocols standard in the industry, including gun inspections, were not strictly followed on the “Rust” set near Santa Fe, the sources said. They said at least one of the camera operators complained last weekend to a production manager about gun safety on the set.

Three crew members who were present at the Bonanza Creek Ranch set on Saturday
said they were particularly concerned about two accidental prop gun discharges.

Baldwin’s stunt double accidentally fired two rounds Saturday after being told that the gun was “cold” — lingo for a weapon that doesn’t have any ammunition, including blanks, two crew members who witnessed the episode told the Los Angeles Times.

“There should have been an investigation into what happened,” said the crew member. “There were no safety meetings. There was no assurance that it wouldn’t happen again. All they wanted to do was rush, rush, rush.”

A colleague was so alarmed by the prop gun misfires he sent a text message to the unit production manager. “We’ve now had 3 accidental discharges. This is super unsafe,” according to a copy of the message reviewed by The Times.

“The safety of our cast and crew is the top priority of Rust Productions and everyone associated with the company, " Rust Movie Productions said in a statement. “Though we were not made aware of any official complaints concerning weapon or prop safety on set, we will be conducting an internal review of our procedures while production is shut down. We will continue to cooperate with the Santa Fe authorities in their investigation and offer mental health services to the cast and crew during this tragic time.”

The tragedy occurred Thursday afternoon during filming of a gunfight that began in a church that is part of the old Western town at the ranch. Baldwin’s character was supposed to back out of the church, according to production notes obtained by The Times. It was the 12th day of a 21-day shoot.

Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was huddled around a monitor lining up her next camera shot when she was accidentally killed by Baldwin.

The actor was preparing to film a scene in which he pulls a gun out of a holster, according to a source close to the production. Crew members had already shouted “cold gun” on the New Mexico set. The filmmaking team was lining up its camera angles and had yet to retreat to the video village, an on-set area where the crew gathers to watch filming from a distance via a monitor.

Instead, the B-camera operator was on a dolly with a monitor, checking out the potential shots. Hutchins was also looking at the monitor from over the operator’s shoulder, as was the movie’s director, Joel Souza, who was crouching just behind her.

Baldwin removed the gun from its holster once without incident, but the second time he repeated the action, ammunition flew toward the trio around the monitor. The projectile whizzed by the camera operator but penetrated Hutchins near her shoulder, then continued through to Souza. Hutchins immediately fell to the ground as crew members applied pressure to her wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

Late Friday, the Associated Press reported that Baldwin was handed a loaded weapon by an assistant director who indicated it was safe to use in the moments before the actor fatally shot a cinematographer, according to court records. The assistant director did not know the prop gun was loaded with live rounds, according to a search warrant filed in a Santa Fe County court.
The person in charge of overseeing the gun props, known as the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, could not be reached for comment. The 24-year-old is the daughter of veteran armorer Thell Reed and had recently completed her first film as the head armorer for the movie “The Old Way,” with Clint Howard and Nicolas Cage.

Editorial: The production company seems to already be clamming and lawyering up with that bit of PR babble.

Also the 24-year old chick who was “head armorer” will be used as the fall guy.

Hannah Gutierrez Reed, could not be reached for comment. The 24-year-old

Armorer Hannah Reed, 9/11/21 - Voices of the West | iHeart

Hollywood armorer Hannah Reed joins us. She’s just coming off her first movie serving as the lead armorer. She learned her trade from one of the best–her father, Thell Reed, who was one of the fastest guns in Hollywood and trained a ton of actors on how to use firearms.

www.iheart.com

September 11, 2021 • 60 min
Hollywood armorer Hannah Reed joins us. She’s just coming off her first movie serving as the lead armorer. She learned her trade from one of the best–her father, Thell Reed, who was one of the fastest guns in Hollywood and trained a ton of actors on how to use firearms.

"[Recent 2021 Nic Cage film] was my first time being head armorer. I was really nervous. I wasn't sure about the job at first because I wasn't sure I was ready. My dad has been teaching me about guns [for 8 years], but mostly in the last couple of years."
Attached is the podcast.

"I think loading blanks is the scariest thing for me, since I don't know anything about it. But [my dad] taught me that. [...] Eventually by the time I was trying to figure out how to make a specific blank go when you want it to, rather than it hitting an empty cylinder - I figured that out on my own. [goes on to describe how to make and load blanks]"

This should be the Nic Cage movie though:

Nicolas Cage to saddle up for his first Western with The Old Way

The actor will be shooting two separate Westerns in Montana this year

www.avclub.com

The Old Way: Nicolas Cage starring in first ever Western​

The Old Way (2022) - IMDb

The Old Way: Directed by Brett Donowho. With Nicolas Cage, Clint Howard, Abraham Benrubi, Nick Searcy. An old gunslinger and his daughter must face the consequences of his past, when the son of a man he murdered years ago arrives to take his revenge.

www.imdb.com

 

[Tookie]

The person in charge of overseeing the gun props, known as the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, could not be reached for comment. The 24-year-old is the daughter of veteran armorer Thell Reed and had recently completed her first film as the head armorer for the movie “The Old Way,” with Clint Howard and Nicolas Cage.

Hollywood is such a pathetic cesspool of nepotism.

 

[AirdropShitposts]

Why is it not standard practice for an actor to confirm a weapon is unloaded when they are told it is cold? I can see maybe if it is hot and has blanks in it. But if it is supposed to have nothing in it, you aren't going to fuck it up by checking.

This is basically the fix to all the overwrought whining about how WE CAN NEVER USE GUNS AGAIN, just teach the actors how to check the weapon before handling it and mandate they do it. Or maybe mandate some flunky to literally do it for them immediately before handling. (This doesn't solve the screw ups with blanks/live/etc. but that's not on the actor.)

Will Smith himself made this on-set gun safety video posted to his Instagram like a year ago, which even if exaggerated and staged shows how easy it can be for one person to check:

 

[Standardized Profile]

Baldwin removed the gun from its holster once without incident, but the second time he repeated the action, ammunition flew toward the trio

Baldwin didn't pull the trigger and shoot someone, the ammunition just flew out of the gun toward some people.

Hollywood is such a pathetic cesspool of nepotism.

Agreed, but a 24-year-old should be competent enough to ensure a gun is unloaded before giving it to someone. I guess someone--maybe a producer or A-list actor--bullied her into letting the unsafe situation occur. "I know what I'm doing, and you better blah-blah-blah if you ever want to work in this town again."

 

[Getting tard comed]

More coverage from the LA Times. Quoting the “New” bits.

'Rust' crew describes on-set gun safety issues and misfires days before fatal shooting

At least one of the camera operators complained last weekend to production managers about gun safety on the set.

www.latimes.com

“Safety protocols standard in the industry, including gun inspections, were not strictly followed on the “Rust” set near Santa Fe, the sources said. They said at least one of the camera operators complained last weekend to a production manager about gun safety on the set.

Three crew members who were present at the Bonanza Creek Ranch set on Saturday
said they were particularly concerned about two accidental prop gun discharges.

Baldwin’s stunt double accidentally fired two rounds Saturday after being told that the gun was “cold” — lingo for a weapon that doesn’t have any ammunition, including blanks, two crew members who witnessed the episode told the Los Angeles Times.

“There should have been an investigation into what happened,” said the crew member. “There were no safety meetings. There was no assurance that it wouldn’t happen again. All they wanted to do was rush, rush, rush.”

A colleague was so alarmed by the prop gun misfires he sent a text message to the unit production manager. “We’ve now had 3 accidental discharges. This is super unsafe,” according to a copy of the message reviewed by The Times.

“The safety of our cast and crew is the top priority of Rust Productions and everyone associated with the company, " Rust Movie Productions said in a statement. “Though we were not made aware of any official complaints concerning weapon or prop safety on set, we will be conducting an internal review of our procedures while production is shut down. We will continue to cooperate with the Santa Fe authorities in their investigation and offer mental health services to the cast and crew during this tragic time.”

The tragedy occurred Thursday afternoon during filming of a gunfight that began in a church that is part of the old Western town at the ranch. Baldwin’s character was supposed to back out of the church, according to production notes obtained by The Times. It was the 12th day of a 21-day shoot.

Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was huddled around a monitor lining up her next camera shot when she was accidentally killed by Baldwin.

The actor was preparing to film a scene in which he pulls a gun out of a holster, according to a source close to the production. Crew members had already shouted “cold gun” on the New Mexico set. The filmmaking team was lining up its camera angles and had yet to retreat to the video village, an on-set area where the crew gathers to watch filming from a distance via a monitor.

Instead, the B-camera operator was on a dolly with a monitor, checking out the potential shots. Hutchins was also looking at the monitor from over the operator’s shoulder, as was the movie’s director, Joel Souza, who was crouching just behind her.

Baldwin removed the gun from its holster once without incident, but the second time he repeated the action, ammunition flew toward the trio around the monitor. The projectile whizzed by the camera operator but penetrated Hutchins near her shoulder, then continued through to Souza. Hutchins immediately fell to the ground as crew members applied pressure to her wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

Late Friday, the Associated Press reported that Baldwin was handed a loaded weapon by an assistant director who indicated it was safe to use in the moments before the actor fatally shot a cinematographer, according to court records. The assistant director did not know the prop gun was loaded with live rounds, according to a search warrant filed in a Santa Fe County court.
The person in charge of overseeing the gun props, known as the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, could not be reached for comment. The 24-year-old is the daughter of veteran armorer Thell Reed and had recently completed her first film as the head armorer for the movie “The Old Way,” with Clint Howard and Nicolas Cage.

Editorial: The production company seems to already be clamming and lawyering up with that bit of PR babble.

Also the 24-year old chick who was “head armorer” will be used as the fall guy.

Any clarification on live rounds meaning actual ammunition with a bullet attached to it or were they blanks or was something jammed up and shrapnel flew out?

Idk how likely it is for a non bullet to go through someone's shoulder clean through so someone can clarify that. According to this article Mr. Baldwin wasn’t practicing good trigger discipline though.

 

[Smug Cat]

This is what they get for going with diversity hires...

She's worse than a diversity hire. She's a nepotism hire.

 

[Jaded Optimist]

Holy shit, her dad is a legend.

 

[Drag-on Knight 91873]

View attachment 2649738

View attachment 2649740

Damn dude, that lady was a MILF.

 

[ForTheHoard]

Any clarification on live rounds meaning actual ammunition with a bullet attached to it or were they blanks or was something jammed up and shrapnel flew out?

Idk how likely it is for a non bullet to go through someone's shoulder clean through so someone can clarify that. According to this article Mr. Baldwin wasn’t practicing good trigger discipline though.

Most bullets will penetrate a human body and continue traveling with enough energy to enter another, especially if they were using ammunition that was "period correct." A cast lead, flat nosed bullet. Hollow points and copper jackets are too modern for what they were filming. It's also likely that it was a .45LC based on what types of guns were used at the time. My money is on an 1873 Colt SAA.

 

[Billy Beer]

Serious posting: With what Ruby rose was saying about conditions on the batgirl set REovid and long hours, and now this, is there a serious problem in hollywood atm (other than pedos?).

I'm sad there's been no Alec baldwin/Alec Baldlose memes yet like the Daniel radcliff/Daniel Boringcliff pics

 

[snailslime]

Someone is dead and you're only worried about how the killer feels.

For shame, faggot. Think about someone other than your Hollywood idols. I bet you were one of the incels screaming "Think about Brian!"

you probably worship kyle rittenhouse and other incel shooters.

 

[X Pac Heat]

you probably worship kyle rittenhouse and other incel shooters.

Cope Seethe Dilate reddit faggot

Edit: Kyle Rittenhouse took convicted felons and pedos off the streets so of course I cheer him. Do you enjoy kid fuckers or something? Also throwing bricks at glass houses with that incel remark considering you seem to jerk off to underage cartoons.

 

[beautiful person]

I wasn't sure I was ready.

Girl, you weren't.

Like, lmfao, they really put a 24-year-old kid with only a few years of actual experience in charge as the head armorer? Absolute lunacy, right off the bat.

The whole thing sounded like a shitshow that lead into an even bigger shitshow. Holy shit.

 

[Art Kassul]

Most bullets will penetrate a human body and continue traveling with enough energy to enter another, especially if they were using ammunition that was "period correct." A cast lead, flat nosed bullet. Hollow points and copper jackets are too modern for what they were filming. It's also likely that it was a .45LC based on what types of guns were used at the time. My money is on an 1873 Colt SAA.

According to that podcast above, she was very familiar with firearms from that period, or so she claimed in an anecdote about advising a director about appropriate period firearms.

 

[snailslime]

Cope Seethe Dilate reddit faggot

Edit: Kyle Rittenhouse took convicted felons and pedos off the streets so of course I cheer him. Do you enjoy kid fuckers or something?

alec baldwin did nothing wrong

 

[ForTheHoard]

According to that podcast above, she was very familiar with firearms from that period, or so she claimed in an anecdote about advising a director about appropriate period firearms.

Take it with a grain of salt until records of her formal firearm training have been made public. You'd be shocked how many people self-identify as firearms experts when they know pretty much nothing. When I was working as a firearms trainer for local police departments, one of my coworkers was a US Air Marshall, and I caught him in 2 separate classes pointing a gun to his temple as a joke. Don't underestimate how many people out there behave like 10 year olds when they get a gun in their hands.

 

[AirdropShitposts]

Serious posting: With what Ruby rose was saying about conditions on the batgirl set REovid and long hours, and now this, is there a serious problem in hollywood atm (other than pedos?).

The IATSE (a major Hollywood union) is currently in semi-strike actions, one of their accusations is that sets have become unsafe.