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

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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.

 

[Weeb Slinger]

why were you in Yemen?

I was travelling. This was back in 98 during one of the lulls in fighting, It was pretty safe. Some tourists were kidnapped in Abyan while I was there and a few of them were killed, but that's what you get for travelling in a tour group. It's the relationships you build with locals that keep you safe in a country like that. Not the SUV and the guy with the Kalashnikov.

 

[Pocket Dragoon]

It's the relationships you build with locals that keep you safe in a country like that. Not the SUV and the guy with the Kalashnikov.

That's why you make friends with the locals who have an SUV & Kalashnikov, and pay them enough so they remember you're their friend (and/or who they work for).

 

[Lone Star]

Man, we were wrong. People don't kill people, guns just spontaneously gain sentience and kill people.

 

[Cuckoman]

I hate it when firearms just spontaneously auto-discharge by them selves.

Is this an attempt to push the blame to the manufacturer of the firearm? And that Baldwin is completely innocent and they should charge the manufacturer instead? Is that the angle that his defence lawyer will push?

Oh, so it looks like they are going with gun spontaneously discharged by itself.
Now the ADs lawyer too are pushing the line that Baldwin never pulled the trigger.

Alec Baldwin interview: Rust assistant director Dave Halls backs acto…

archived 2 Dec 2021 19:26:07 UTC

archive.md

They seriously think that this defense will work in court? Or is this just aimed for the liberal twitter crowd to push the "ban all guns because like in Baldwins case they spontaneously discharge and kill"

 

[Snekposter]

Oh, so it looks like they are going with gun spontaneously discharged by itself.
Now the ADs lawyer too are pushing the line that Baldwin never pulled the trigger.

Alec Baldwin interview: Rust assistant director Dave Halls backs acto…

archived 2 Dec 2021 19:26:07 UTC

archive.md

They seriously think that this defense will work in court? Or is this just aimed for the liberal twitter crowd to push the "ban all guns because like in Baldwins case they spontaneously discharge and kill"

Its the only play they've got considering they've been proven to be on the hook for literally everything else. "Pay no attention to how badly we fucked up at every single basic step of safe handling! It was the gun's fault there's a dead woman and an injured man!"

 

[Pocket Dragoon]

Its the only play they've got considering they've been proven to be on the hook for literally everything else. "Pay no attention to how badly we fucked up at every single basic step of safe handling! It was the gun's fault there's a dead woman and an injured man!"

Along with Hanna being one of the untouchables, and her old man speaking up for her (while providing a strawman).

 

[Antique Rice]

Oh, so it looks like they are going with gun spontaneously discharged by itself.
Now the ADs lawyer too are pushing the line that Baldwin never pulled the trigger.

Alec Baldwin interview: Rust assistant director Dave Halls backs acto…

archived 2 Dec 2021 19:26:07 UTC

archive.md

They seriously think that this defense will work in court? Or is this just aimed for the liberal twitter crowd to push the "ban all guns because like in Baldwins case they spontaneously discharge and kill"

Remember these fuckos who claim guns just randomly go off without warning are the same who think people like you aren't trustworthy enough to handle guns of your own. I shouldn't be surprised this is the angle a law professional is going to attempt to push, but that's what I get for thinking there's a level of blatant lying that's too shameful for even lawyers.

 

[Snekposter]

Remember these fuckos who claim guns just randomly go off without warning are the same who think people like you aren't trustworthy enough to handle guns of your own. I shouldn't be surprised this is the angle a law professional is going to attempt to push, but that's what I get for thinking there's a level of blatant lying that's too shameful for even lawyers.

"When the law is on your side, pound the law. When the facts are on your side, pound the facts. When neither is on your side, pound the table." I'm sure their lawyers would prefer to have an actual argument for their clients since it makes their jobs easier, but in the absence of that they'll have to make lots of noise and pretend to have something... and jack up their fees to match the extra effort, of course.

 

[SITHRAK!]

Oh, so it looks like they are going with gun spontaneously discharged by itself.
Now the ADs lawyer too are pushing the line that Baldwin never pulled the trigger.

Alec Baldwin interview: Rust assistant director Dave Halls backs acto…

archived 2 Dec 2021 19:26:07 UTC

archive.md

They seriously think that this defense will work in court? Or is this just aimed for the liberal twitter crowd to push the "ban all guns because like in Baldwins case they spontaneously discharge and kill"

Interesting that the NY Post version of that same article actually contains counterpoints. Clearly Australian news media copied the NY Post article and simply deleted half of it.
Why they deleted things like the sheriff’s statement is a mystery.

 

[Xarpho]

I find it suspicious that only now Baldwin claims he never pulled the trigger. I'm not saying that this is proof that he's guiltier than he let on, and rather has thought about that day so much that he probably rewrote whatever happened that day in his head. (Which is a real thing.)

Running his mouth about that now probably isn't helping his case. That gun is in an evidence locker and if it turns out he really did pull the trigger and said the contrary under oath, he'd undermine his case by being unreliable at best, or commit perjury at worse.

I thought they already had a good narrative that armorer thot was incompetent, the unions walked off, and poor Alec Baldwin got the guilt of blowing a hole through the cinematographer—saving their bankable actor from criminal charges and strengthening the credibility of the strong Hollywood unions.

 

[Iceland Heavy]

It was possible for some of those older SAO revolvers to fire without a trigger pull or even cocking the hammer back because the firing pin was mounted on the hammer and could set off a primer just by bumping into it, that's why fuddlore had you always leave one chamber empty in a revolver. This was a Pietta replica with a transfer bar safety though I suppose said safety could've been broken or it might be one that lacked it for all I know but the simpler conclusion is just that he's lying.

 

[SITHRAK!]

It also shows how little he understands the situation he is in. ”I didn’t pull the trigger” is not a defense when the pistol cannot fire without being manually cocked.
And why cock the pistol if you don’t intend to pull the trigger? This just strengthens my suspicion that he was fucking around with the pistol after assuming the rounds were dummies.
The AD saying Baldwin ‘didn’t pull the trigger’ is also deeply suspicious and smacks of a deal- “say this and we’ll give you a movie to direct”.
The machinery of elitist corruption is going into action in real-time, how interesting to watch it manipulate the narrative and move the pawns.

 

[DicksOutForKiwigglers]

Alec Baldwin shooting: Halyna Hutchins cried out ‘that was no good’ seconds after fatal shot​

Witnesses have revealed Halyna Hutchins’ last words in the moments after she was shot by Alec Baldwin on the set of his movie Rust.

Ms Hutchins, director of photography for the Western film, died on 21 October after Mr Baldwin discharged a firearm while practising a gun-drawing technique on the set in New Mexico.


Seconds after she was struck, Ms Hutchins cried out to a boom operator: “That was no good. That was no good at all,” according to a Los Angeles Times report based on interviews with 14 crew members.

The crew members told how Mr Baldwin’s fatal shot came as he was rehearsing a shootout scene inside a church so the camera crew could set up their angles.


“So, I guess I’m gonna take this out, pull it, and go, ‘Bang!’” Mr Baldwin said as he clutched a Colt .45 revolver, which he believed had been loaded with dummy rounds instead of gunpowder and a projectile.

His words were followed by a bang from the gun as a lead bullet ripped through Ms Hutchins before landing in the shoulder of the film’s director, Joel Souza.


Blood began pouring from Ms Hutchins’ chest as she fell backward into the head electrician and Mr Souza crumpled to the ground clutching his shoulder.

The 42-year-old cinematographer uttered her last words as crew members crowded around her and a boom operator locked eyes, telling her: “Oh, that was no good.”

Mr Baldwin looked on in horror and repeatedly yelled: “What the f*** just happened,” according to the witnesses who spoke to the Times.

Hours later, Ms Hutchins was pronounced dead at hospital. Mr Souza was treated and released.

The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office is conducting an investigation into how live ammunition ended up in the prop gun and has thus far refused to rule out the possibility of criminal charges for anyone involved, including Mr Baldwin himself.


The actor, who was also a producer on the film, reflected on the shooting when confronted by paparazzi over the weekend, calling it a “one-in-a-trillion” episode.

“There are incidental accidents on film sets from time to time, but nothing like this,” he said. “We were a very, very well-oiled crew shooting a film together and then this horrible event happened.”


Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza painted a different portrait of the set at a news conference last week, saying: “I think there was some complacency on the set, and I think there are some safety issues that need to be addressed by the industry and possible by the state of New Mexico.”

Crew members who spoke to the Times echoed that characterisation, many of them alleging that their safety concerns prior to the shooting were ignored by upper management.

“It always felt like the budget was more important than crew members,” Lane Luper, the A-camera first assistant, told the newspaper. “Every thing was about the schedule and the budget.”

On the morning of the shooting, six members of the camera crew were gearing up for a walk-out to protest working conditions and safety measures, the Times reported.


Among crew members’ concerns, the Times said, was the experience level of the film’s sole armourer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who was responsible for overseeing all firearms on the set, including the one Mr Baldwin used to shoot Ms Hutchins.

The 21 October shooting marked the fourth time that a gun had been accidentally discharged on set, Ms Luper said.

Attorneys for Ms Gutierrez-Reed pinned blame for the incidents on her superiors, saying she “fought for training, days to maintain weapons and proper time to prepare for gunfire, but ultimately was overruled by production and her department.”

“The whole production set became unsafe due to various factors, including lack of safety meetings,” the attorneys said in a statement last week.

Halyna Hutchins’ last words after Alec Baldwin shooting revealed

Hutchins, director of photography for the Western film Rust, died on 21 October after Baldwin discharged a firearm while practising a gun-drawing technique on set

www.independent.co.uk

 

[SITHRAK!]

It was possible for some of those older SAO revolvers to fire without a trigger pull or even cocking the hammer back because the firing pin was mounted on the hammer and could set off a primer just by bumping into it, that's why fuddlore had you always leave one chamber empty in a revolver. This was a Pietta replica with a transfer bar safety though I suppose said safety could've been broken or it might be one that lacked it for all I know but the simpler conclusion is just that he's lying.

My guess: worn trigger sear is going to be blamed, even though it makes no difference.
What should happen: full independent forensic audit of the firearm to determine whether or not it could fire without cocking.
If it has a working transfer bar then claims the trigger wasn't pulled are clearly bullshit.
If it has a working transfer bar then the pistol would need to be cocked and the trigger pulled.
But I bet the defense (and the spin merchants) will try to pass this off as 'accidental discharge' when it's clearly 'negligent discharge'.
Here's hoping that there's someone in the process who knows how single-actions and transfer bars work.

 

[Mike Stoklasa]

The gun went off by itself?

Why weren't you screaming this from the mountaintops a month ago, Alec?

 

[feral cat #6385]

We now have a guy named "Billy Ray" (probably racist) to blame and not one of our revered hollywood heroes, not the strong woman with the POC last name, it's looking like case closed.

Who woulda knew the deadly mistake came from so far back in the chain?

Sounds like the old "A black guy killed my pregnant wife" trope.

 

[Billy Beer]

Alex baldwins gun went off without touching it? Sounds like he has premature ejaculation

 

[Takayuki Yagami]

I don't know much about guns, but it seems like shooting the ground is idiotic.

Probably depends on what your standing on. Better than shooting it into the air.

 

[Pocket Dragoon]

My guess: worn trigger sear is going to be blamed, even though it makes no difference.

Early in this happening, I remember reading reports that the pistol had "misfired" twice before; then the story changed to include it being used for target practice, but I don't recall any further mention until Baldwin resurrected the rumor.

I've always had the hunch it was a scab-gun; a mistreated revolver pressed into movie service from someone's personal collection, with a trigger/sear that had been molested & damaged. And that it wasn't really used for target practice; instead someone was test-firing the janky thing previously.

Which doesn't absolve Baldwin, for what should be obvious reasons; he was playing around with the revolver when it wasn't required, pointing it at people, etc. But the kicker is that he/they KNEW it was malfunctioning, and yet it was kept in the production.

 

[thyme's up]

Probably depends on what your standing on. Better than shooting it into the air.

Or your foot.

Gotta love how Baldwin gets 90 min to garner sympathy while everyone else is completely ignored.