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.

 

[X Pac Heat]

Remember you can not only get away with killing a person but midwits will come out and get offended for you as long as you're rich, famous and made fun of Drumpf.

 

[Not Really Here]

'There's no way Hollytard is responsible for breaking the universally acknowledged first rule of firearms, and in doing so caused the death of a crew member.'~Speds 2021
He will get away with something anyone poor or brown would do time over. Yes, he did something wrong and caused the death of a mother.

 

[Racist Trash]

Ok I'm not going to go through everything in this thread to see what has changed and will just be going off passing knowledge from what the media has reported.
1. Baldwin isn't going to get hit, his lawyers will have some argument to throw it on someone else that leaves two others the AD and the armorer
2. Baldwin should be hit, he was producer of this film and the fact he neglected safety as much as he did and then grabbed new crew when the old protested over safety shows he favoured money and time over the lives of people he worked with and the replacement crew likely contributed to chaos o behind the scenes leading to a mix up
3. Baldwin should have checked the fucking gun before shooting, the AD should have checked the fucking gun before yelling cold gun after picking it up from a cart (guns also shouldn't have been on a cart unattended) WHY YELL COLD GUN WHEN YOU PERSONALLY DON'T KNOW IF IT IS? WHY POINT THE GUN AT SOMEONE AND PULL THE TRIGGER IF YOU PERSONALLY DON'T KNOW? DON'T KNOW ABOUT GUNS? THEN YOU DON'T GET TO TOUCH THE FUCKING GUN.

 

[Drag-on Knight 91873]

You know who exercises the best gun safety of all? Cowboy Trey Parker. He made sure to point it away from everyone AND made sure there was no rounds in it. Vastly superior to Arec Bardwin.

 

[SITHRAK!]

Many arguments for gun control are based on accidental deaths caused when people who are uninformed/inexperienced/ignorant about guns or in general (such as children, the intoxicated or the mentally impaired) have access to them...the point being we need to limit the overall proliferation of guns in society and make guns harder to obtain to prevent these incidents.

Baldwin could use his own accident to advocate for gun control and it would be entirely consistent with his previous positions. It's stupid, but it wouldn't make Baldwin a hypocrite or inconsistent.

I would argue that the ‘gun control’ we need is making sure everyone has basic firearm safety as part of their high-school education, as used to happen up until the early 60’s.

And my position- that of ‘our legislators should not craft laws for anything of which they are ignorant and uneducated’- has not changed after your argument. Yes, Baldwin could easily argue that the incident demonstrates how dangerous firearms can be. I counter that by saying “maybe if someone with a thirty year history of acting in movies that feature firearms took a week to learn basic safety and firearms handling, this death would not have occurred”.

You can blame the gun. I blame the idiot using it.

It’s startlingly obvious to me. The legislators and agitators who want ‘gun control’ all despise, fear and loathe guns, and not a single damn one of these moralizers truly understands the first thing about them.

Legislators and citizens who are familiar with, and have respect for firearms oppose gun control. Show me the list of people who are pro gun-control and also have a history of using and being knowledgeable about firearms. Small list, isn’t it?

EDIT: It’s also interesting to me that the people most in favour of gun control are also almost universally supporters of ‘black lives matter’. It’s almost like they’ve put two and two together… but if you were to stand up and say “we can halve the murder rate and save thousands of lives a year by preventing blacks from obtaining firearms” you’d be pilloried in the media.

 

[Terrorist]

I would argue that the ‘gun control’ we need is making sure everyone has basic firearm safety as part of their high-school education, as used to happen up until the early 60’s.

And my position- that of ‘our legislators should not craft laws for anything of which they are ignorant and uneducated’- has not changed after your argument. Yes, Baldwin could easily argue that the incident demonstrates how dangerous firearms can be. I counter that by saying “maybe if someone with a thirty year history of acting in movies that feature firearms took a week to learn basic safety and firearms handling, this death would not have occurred”.

You can blame the gun. I blame the idiot using it.

It’s startlingly obvious to me. The legislators and agitators who want ‘gun control’ all despise, fear and loathe guns, and not a single damn one of these moralizers truly understands the first thing about them.

Legislators and citizens who are familiar with, and have respect for firearms oppose gun control. Show me the list of people who are pro gun-control and also have a history of using and being knowledgeable about firearms. Small list, isn’t it?

Read my posts again...you seem to think I'm arguing for gun control but I'm not. Baldwin's accident will affirm his own position by his own (moronic) logic. Consistency =/= correctness.

 

[Art Kassul]

You overlooked that fact that he's a LOLcow. He punched someone over a parking spot.

Earlier in the thread there was an unconfirmed allegation that Baldwin threatened to kill Hutchins' career if she didn't get back to work after she voiced safety concerns. As a producer he knew about the safety issues and instead of addressing them, he hired scabs. That looks like proof of negligence, which would make him guilty of involuntary manslaughter at a minimum.

US Actor Alec Baldwin's history of assault and angry behaviour

Alec Baldwin is in the news for allegedly shooting a cinematographer with a prop gun on the set of a movie called the 'Rust'. | OpIndia News

www.opindia.com

Zanger claimed that Baldwin had broken his nose.

Beating up a journalist redeems him somewhat. If only he focused his anger on the press instead of on those around him. He needs anger management, to better transfer that anger to appropriate places. Like to an MSNBC office party.

 

[SBG]

I can't help but feel a little sorry for the guy since they had someone they imagined was competent and checked the guns to make sure they didn't have live ammo, and some law enforcement (if the reports are accurate) that checked and said the gun was 'cold' and still the gun was actually a hot gun that could kill someone.

Guy gets on an incompetent production, hiring on people with the right connections rather than those knowing what they're doing, and ends up being the one pulling the trigger to end someone's life. So ungodly depressing to imagine being in his shoes.

Makes me feel for the actors that get paranoid and want to check every gun that ever gets used on the movies they're working on, would not thing there'd typically be such retarded people working on such productions.

 

[Iron Jaguar]

 

[Neil]

'There's no way Hollytard is responsible for breaking the universally acknowledged first rule of firearms, and in doing so caused the death of a crew member.'~Speds 2021
He will get away with something anyone poor or brown would do time over. Yes, he did something wrong and caused the death of a mother.

How the fuck do you think gun scenes are shot in movies? Literally none of the rules of firearms apply on a movie set because you're not actually supposed to "destroy" anything with a prop gun. Literally every action movie you've ever watched breaks the rules of "gun safety" because they're props, especially before CGI. The last time we've even heard about an accident like this was in 1993. There's just steps taken to prevent tragedies like this from happening, steps that were neglected by Hannah Gutierrez, the woman whose job it was to make sure the props were safe.

Sure is a lot of posts over a relatively straightforward matter.

Baldwin can't and won't be charged with a thing. Second Director who handed the gun is a real stretch and near zero bit still technically a possibility.

The Armourer? She is fucking toast. Her very role is literally immune from the defense of "accident".

Am I missing something or is that not the gist of it?

Baldwin has the wrong politics (he's a liberal) so A&N is going to bend over fucking backwards to place the blame on him rather than anybody whose actual job it is to load and check the guns.

 

[Coldgrip]

How the fuck do you think gun scenes are shot in movies? Literally none of the rules of firearms apply on a movie set because you're not actually supposed to "destroy" anything with a prop gun. Literally every action movie you've ever watched breaks the rules of "gun safety" because they're props, especially before CGI. The last time we've even heard about an accident like this was in 1993. There's just steps taken to prevent tragedies like this from happening, steps that were neglected by Hannah Gutierrez, the woman whose job it was to make sure the props were safe.

Baldwin has the wrong politics (he's a liberal) so A&N is going to bend over fucking backwards to place the blame on him rather than anybody whose actual job it is to load and check the guns.

Or maybe, just maybe we just want to laugh at a hypocritical retard.

 

[Iron Jaguar]

Or maybe, just maybe we just want to laugh at a hypocritical retard.

This.

> I hate his Leftist political sperging.
> I don't think he's truly to blame for a genuine mishap.
> I am greatly enjoying his discomfiture.
> I do think he's a really good actor.
> He's a liberal cunt.

All of these things are simultaneously true.

 

[SITHRAK!]

Baldwin has the wrong politics (he's a liberal) so A&N is going to bend over fucking backwards to place the blame on him rather than anybody whose actual job it is to load and check the guns.

I don't think anyone here's saying he's solely responsible. But he does bear legal responsibility, for the following reasons:

• He's directly funding the movie in part out of his own pocket;
• Instead of addressing safety concerns, he ignored them, triggering a walkout by the union crew;
• He agreed to continue shooting using a scab labor crew that were clearly not up to the job;
• He failed to check the weapon himself;
• He pointed the weapon at another human being without cause to do so;
• Even if the discharge was unintentional, it is, at best, involuntary manslaughter and at worst negligent homicide.

Now, the silly cunt who allowed a live round or rounds to be loaded is primarily responsible; the AD who incorrectly claimed the weapon was safe is secondarily responsible; but the whole chain of events, including hiring the silly cunt in question, was set off because Baldwin and the director refused to acknowledge genuine safety concerns after two accidents had already occurred.

Firearm safety is everyone's responsibility, and that is especially true on a movie set.

 

[Billy Beer]

He fired at gun in the direction of another person, without checking it. Some responsibility falls on his shoulders.

"Here, jump in this water, there's no sharks in there. Don't bother checking, just dive in!"

 

[MadStan]

How the fuck do you think gun scenes are shot in movies? Literally none of the rules of firearms apply on a movie set because you're not actually supposed to "destroy" anything with a prop gun. Literally every action movie you've ever watched breaks the rules of "gun safety" because they're props, especially before CGI. The last time we've even heard about an accident like this was in 1993. There's just steps taken to prevent tragedies like this from happening, steps that were neglected by Hannah Gutierrez, the woman whose job it was to make sure the props were safe.

Baldwin has the wrong politics (he's a liberal) so A&N is going to bend over fucking backwards to place the blame on him rather than anybody whose actual job it is to load and check the guns.

Its the same kind of reaction that I saw with Derek.

Law establishes the guilt and process regardless of whether we like the person or not. Whether we like the person or not isn't going to have a great deal on the outcome. Derek's conviction was widely believed to be inevitable after the evidence was released and seen by experts.

Derek was technically at fault and found guilty as widely expected, not because the victim was black, but because Derek had it in for the guy and the evidence showed that.

With Baldwin no harm was meant, and no negligence took place. Even if he had inspected the gun it is entirely unreasonable to assume an actor knows the precise difference between a blank or real shell etc. etc. etc. However with the Armourer, a wild amount of criminal negligence happened with an extreme callous coupled with it. She is very likely to be prosecuted and found guilty - assuming what we have been told to date is fairly accurate.

For them to find Baldwin criminally negligent, we'd have to find the HR person for the film negligent and the film company. It would be on par with finding Walmart criminally negligent for selling the essential oil that was recently pulled for killing people with bacteria.

Another example would be to find a person guilty of homicide if they used a newly installed wall plug that was faulty and their kid got killed using the toaster - you'd find the electrician guilty as shit; but you'd never demand that the adult inspect and know the plug was 100% operational prior to allowing the kid to use it. The electrician is there to certify and state it is OK to use which is why we issue licenses to certain trades/

I get that he held the gun - but he was told he was holding a prop, not a lethal weapon and the entire fucking job of that stupid bitch armourer Hannah Gutierrez was for one fucking purpose - to ensure this exact scenario did not happen. She was trusted, paid and had one fucking job to do. That is all her job was, and she fucked it royally.

A & N can paint whatever picture they want of Baldwin, but it will be of little consequence when the case goes to court. Hannah Gutierrez will have a hard time finding a reasonable defense that holds any water.

The idea of Baldwin being held accountable because of anything else that happened no the set with other safety issues or anything else will be entirely irrelevant because none of that has anything to do with the job of Hannah Gutierrez, her responsibilities or function as Armourer.

Any set has the potential to kill - a falling prop, a horse that kicks up and throws someone down, someone falling down the stairs etc. etc. but in this instance there is a clear and obvious monumental failure of duty of care from one person. Hannah Gutierrez.

The second person to hand the gun to Baldwin can argue a reasonable defense; but may have some responsibility but it will be as minimal as it can get. This person may land a charge that perhaps is later dismissed or nulled.

The dream some have on here of Baldwin wearing any of this is an unreality based on prejudice and not law.

 

[JoeBidenSniffMe]

H3H3 be like, it was an accident.

 

[East_Clintwood]

Halls had taken one of three prop guns set up by Gutierrez Reed on a cart left outside the structure because of COVID-19 restrictions, the affidavit said. Halls did not know live rounds were in the gun when he handed it to Baldwin, and Halls yelled “cold gun,” according to the affidavit.


Souza said cast and crew were preparing the scene before lunch but then had a meal away from the rehearsal area around 12:30 p.m., according to the affidavit. When they returned, Souza said, he wasn’t sure if the gun was checked again, the affidavit said.

Search warrant reveals grim details of 'Rust' shooting and Halyna Hutchins' final minutes

Before the revolver fired, Alec Baldwin was rehearsing how to point it toward the camera, says an affidavit laying out new details of the shooting.

www.latimes.com

This just raises a whole bunch more questions than answer for me. Like why do the guns have to be left outside to Covid. Why are they not immediately checked after being left alone for an hour and a half, and most importantly who the fuck hands someone and calls cold gun without having confirmed it is actually a cold gun.

 

[Super-Chevy454]

I saw this article have a interesing point about gun safety in the aftermath of Alec Baldwin shooting.

Shouldn't the Screen Actors Guild require NRA gun safety training for all actors handling guns?

www.americanthinker.com

October 25, 2021

Shouldn’t the Screen Actors Guild require NRA gun safety training for all actors handling guns?​

By Paul Dowling

“Loaded or unloaded, a weapon never gets pointed at another human being.” – Hollywood firearms consultant Bryan Carpenter, of Dark Thirty Film Services

The No. 1 Rule of Gun Safety
According to the New York Post, Bryan Carpenter, a leading Hollywood firearms expert, has said that the “No. 1 rule” of gun safety is the following: “Loaded or unloaded, a weapon never gets pointed at another human being.” Carpenter went on to say that “you never let the muzzle of a weapon cover something you don’t intend to destroy” because “the firearm is always presumed loaded.” This is sound advice, especially when scenes are being filmed that require an actor, or actors, to shoot at other individuals. Deceptive camera angles can always be employed to make shooters appear to be aiming directly at their targets. And in the case of an actor’s firing directly into the camera, a director of photography can always be given time to stand away from the camera before calling “Action!”

The Actor Must Perform the Final Safety Check of Any Weapon
The actor on the set – as the last person in the chain of gun custody before a gun’s discharge – must be the person who is responsible for performing the ultimate safety check before the trigger is pulled. This would include a check of the gun’s action as well as gun’s barrel. The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) has posted safety rules for handling firearms, which include “Use Correct Ammunition” and “Be Sure the Barrel Is Clear of Obstructions Before Shooting.”

Respect Any Firearm That Is Being Discharged
Anyone planning to discharge a weapon, be that weapon loaded with live rounds or blank cartridges, must assume the serious responsibility of “using only the correct ammunition.” Also, one must exercise the utmost caution, even when the ammo being used is blank cartridges. One must keep in mind that blank cartridges are loaded with actual gunpowder, the blast from which poses a clear and present danger to anyone who may find oneself too close to the gun barrel when it discharges.
It should not be forgotten that, although Jon-Erik Hexum, star of the early 1980s series Cover Up, did not die on the set, his death was caused by the discharge of a gun that had a blank cartridge in the chamber. According to The Straight Dope, “on October 18, 1984, the 26-year-old Hexum took a .44 Magnum revolver loaded with blanks, pressed the barrel to his head, and fired a single shot. . .. In the case of Mr. Hexum, the force of the blast alone shattered his skull and badly injured his brain, killing him shortly thereafter.”
However, even at a responsible distance from the gun barrel, death can be the result if the barrel has not been checked for débris that could pose a danger upon discharge of the weapon. Marco Margaritoff has reported that “[o]n March 31, [1993, Brandon] Lee was shot dead in a scene gone wrong on the set of his upcoming film, The Crow, when his costar fired a prop gun that had a dummy bullet lodged in its chamber.” In all likelihood, the “dummy bullet” mentioned was a squib round.

 

[Poppavalyim Andropoff]

Why are they not immediately checked after being left alone for an hour and a half, and most importantly who the fuck hands someone and calls cold gun without having confirmed it is actually a cold gun.

Simply put it's not he's job.
That's what the Armourer is there for. That's their job.

You either had an armourer who designated the wrong gun as 'cold' or a director who picked up the wrong gun.

 

[RodgerDodger]

Simply put it's not he's job.
That's what the Armourer is there for. That's their job.

You either had an armourer who designated the wrong gun as 'cold' or a director who picked up the wrong gun.

They had a gun with live ammo, actual bullets, on a live set. This goes well beyond "picking up the wrong gun". The big question is will a New Mexico DA or AG view this as a workplace accident the way California does, or will they view it as the gun crime that it would be in every other state. Most states don't have Hollywood rules.