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.

 

[Morethanabitfoolish]

Alec said his finger was never even on the trigger, but maybe a month or two after it happened, they released the footage they had recorded in the takes before the shot was fired, and Alec's finger was on the trigger for every take.

That's the part that really baffled me. Given the scenario I was certain the "I never pulled the trigger" could not fold up since there must be footage of the shooting. Or all the footage was "mysteriously deleted."

But it seems that was the case due to the lack of footage for the prosecutors to access and since the gun was damaged by the feds examining it they needed to do some specialist examinations to make the charge that he did pull the trigger despite claiming otherwise. I was sceptical about the claim initially since, given the mentioned assumption there would be footage, surely he did not need to claim that since there should be recorded evidence. However it appears the extra investigation work was needed to call him a lying liar who lies.

 

[ForTheHoard]

That's the part that really baffled me. Given the scenario I was certain the "I never pulled the trigger" could not fold up since there must be footage of the shooting. Or all the footage was "mysteriously deleted."

But it seems that was the case due to the lack of footage for the prosecutors to access and since the gun was damaged by the feds examining it they needed to do some specialist examinations to make the charge that he did pull the trigger despite claiming otherwise. I was sceptical about the claim initially since, given the mentioned assumption there would be footage, surely he did not need to claim that since there should be recorded evidence. However it appears the extra investigation work was needed to call him a lying liar who lies.

I think the local government is conspiring to spike the case. They're trying to turn New Mexico into New Hollywood and locking up an A lister over a negligent death would really hurt those prospects.

 

[reptile baht spaniard rid]

I think the local government is conspiring to spike the case. They're trying to turn New Mexico into New Hollywood and locking up an A lister over a negligent death would really hurt those prospects.

Tbh if I was an actor I’d be much more willing to act in a state that prosecuted fuckers killing people on set, but that’s just me.

 

[ForTheHoard]

Tbh if I was an actor I’d be much more willing to act in a state that prosecuted fuckers killing people on set, but that’s just me.

California levies taxes and fees that only apply to the movie industry, so filming something in California is significantly more expensive than filming anywhere else. NY has similar laws since so much stuff is filmed there. The industry has been looking for an alternative filming location for at least a decade, but not every state offers so many different biomes.

 

[cantankerous jackalope]

Tbh if I was an actor I’d be much more willing to act in a state that prosecuted fuckers killing people on set, but that’s just me.

Yeah, Baldwin has had a long and sordid history of abusing below the line (crew, working class people) and now he's straight up murdered one of them in cold blood. New Mexico champions itself as a workers rights state and I'm sure the optics of a 1% rich celebrity asshole shooting and killing a working class crewmember due to his own dumb negligence doesn't exactly engender passivity from the state.

 

[Snekposter]

California levies taxes and fees that only apply to the movie industry, so filming something in California is significantly more expensive than filming anywhere else. NY has similar laws since so much stuff is filmed there. The industry has been looking for an alternative filming location for at least a decade, but not every state offers so many different biomes.

Georgia of all places has seen a ton of movies shot there due to... low taxes and business friendly policies.

 

[Dog-O-Tron 5000v5.0]

I remember they were going to go through with filming the rest of the movie and get the husband of the dead lady to shut up by giving him an "Executive Producer" credit. Did they actually go through with that and drag all the cast and crew back?

 

[George Lucas]

All Baldwin had to do was check the cylinder to verify it was loaded with blanks.

 

[East_Clintwood]

I remember they were going to go through with filming the rest of the movie and get the husband of the dead lady to shut up by giving him an "Executive Producer" credit. Did they actually go through with that and drag all the cast and crew back?

Yeah they did. IIRC filming resumed basically immediately after the charges were dropped, although there's no release date scheduled atm.

 

[ForTheHoard]

All Baldwin had to do was check the cylinder to verify it was loaded with blanks.

All the things Alec failed to do:

1-Ask the armorer to do their safety check in front of him
2-Do his own safety check
3-Don't point the firearm at another person
4-Don't put your finger on the trigger
5-Don't manipulate the hammer

Had he done just 1 of the 5, all of which are standard operating procedure when handling firearms, the lady would be alive and the other guy wouldn't have gotten shot. If he meant to do it, it's murder. If he didn't mean to do it, it's manslaughter due to extreme negligence.

That's why they keep sandbagging the prosecution and investigation. There's no way to spin this into a light charge.

 

[Tony Vivaldi]

I think the local government is conspiring to spike the case. They're trying to turn New Mexico into New Hollywood and locking up an A lister over a negligent death would really hurt those prospects.

LMAO even. They'd have to clear out a whole desert of mobile meth labs, hostile Indians, cartel members, redneck Flacca eaters and cholo coke freaks in a matter of months.

I mean, Walt Disney did clear out a Florida swamp, so anything's possible....

 

[ForTheHoard]

LMAO even. They'd have to clear out a whole desert of mobile meth labs, hostile Indians, cartel members, redneck Flacca eaters and cholo coke freaks in a matter of months.

I mean, Walt Disney did clear out a Florida swamp, so anything's possible....

There's a lot of beautiful open space with good weather, and the price is right. The state would probably appreciate a new source of revenue outside of rabbit pelts and rest stop slot machines.

The rich people still want to live in Hollywood, but they don't want to spend the money to film their shit there.

 

[Tony Vivaldi]

There's a lot of beautiful open space with good weather, and the price is right. The state would probably appreciate a new source of revenue outside of rabbit pelts and rest stop slot machines.

The rich people still want to live in Hollywood, but they don't want to spend the money to film their shit there.

I'm certainly interested in seeing the progression. I'm not a naysayer; obviously this can happen and has happened before in other climes. We can compare Orlando and Las Vegas, for example. One was set up by a private corporation, and the other a criminal corporation. Over time one became more 'legitimate', and the other morally bankrupt.

Hollywood was always a nest of criminal and psychotic entities, and there were attempts to limit degeneracy through legislation (Hays Code) and punishment (the trials of Fatty Arbuckle, Errol Flynn) and were were met with limited success. Many Warner Bros. productions have filmed in Canada (Smallville, The Dark Knight trilogy), presumably because it's cheaper and/or less taxes. Lucas had been filming in England since the 70's.

 

[TowinKarz]

All Baldwin had to do was check the cylinder to verify it was loaded with blanks.

Or, you know, not pull the trigger?

Only a modern "actor" could be the kind of person dumbfounded that pulling the trigger of a gun would cause it to, well, fire.

 

[beautiful person]

Somewhat related update.
Source || Archive

Alec Baldwin slashes Hamptons mansion price amid new indictment in deadly 'Rust' shooting​

Published January 21, 2024 11:16AM
Long Island
FOX Business
https://www.foxnews.com/category/person/alec-baldwin

Alec Baldwin has slashed more than $10 million off the asking price for his historic Hamptons mansion more than a year after first listing the 10-acre estate — and he's even hawking it in online ads hoping to lure in a buyer.

The actor put it on the market shortly after he fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust." On Friday, Baldwin was charged again with involuntary manslaughter for the 2021 tragedy.

"The meadow in the front of my property is a reserve," Baldwin boasts on his relator sizzle reel. "It's a very, very, uh, low density area, and I love coming here. I'm always happiest, uh, when I come here and, uh, especially this time of year. I love it in the wintertime because it's so peaceful and it's so beautiful."

Speaking from various locations around the East Hampton community of Amagansett, Baldwin talks up the character of the neighborhood and reminisces.

Experts say the price drop is not atypical, but the actor's starring role in the ad could be.

"The Hamptons market has some of the priciest real estate in the world and sometimes significant price adjustments are required to market and ultimately sell a trophy property," Dana Trotter, managing partner of The Agency Hamptons, told Fox News Digital.

"If the seller is comfortable pitching the listing on camera, the celeb cameo is yet another tool to promote the sale and generate buzz."
— Dana Trotter, managing partner of The Agency Hamptons

"Generating press or an interview around the sale prior to listing would be a common PR strategy, but a celebrity video plug of the sale property is not so common," said Trotter, who has a similar $12 million trophy property for sale nearby.

On Thursday, the movie star was seen in New York City before his indictment, wearing the same pricey Moncler jacket from his video pitch, scowling at questions about his struggles selling the property.

The unusual celebrity pitch video begins with drone shots and jazz music before cutting to Baldwin walking down a beach, which is not part of the property, wearing his favorite puffer with the wind blowing his hair skyward.

"I've had a home out here on the East End of Long Island since 1982," the actor says, as the tracking camera catches up with him. "When I was younger, we'd come out here and sleep all morning and lay on the beach all day."

Baldwin is asking just shy of $19 million for the 10,000-square-foot house featuring seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms, real estate listings show. The lot is 10 acres. It’s a dream home for anyone with access to a private helicopter, located more than 100 miles east of New York City, between Southampton and Montauk.

Baldwin, a Long Island native, has deep ties to East Hampton. Property records show he bought the plot in 1996 for $1.75 million. He is on the board of directors for the Hamptons International Film Festival and is a chairman emeritus.

Baldwin has tried to sell several times over the past two years, dropping his asking price from $29 million to $25 million and most recently beneath the $20 million mark.

The refuge sits north of Montauk Highway, about three miles from the East Hampton Town-owned Atlantic Avenue Beach.

For discerning buyers, nearby is a five-bedroom waterfront home with a private boardwalk currently listed for $20 million. But it has less than half the living space and sits on only one acre.

At Baldwin's estate, there is an in-ground pool and a field of solar panels. The historic farmhouse was originally built in 1740, and Baldwin had two additions built.

Photos show the estate's sprawling meadow, stacks of books dedicated to artists like Edward Hopper and photographer Elliott Erwitt and a massive portrait of Baldwin's wife, Hilaria. In the living room, above the fireplace, is a painting that shows her standing in front of shelves full of Rice-A-Roni.

Reddit users have already mocked the portrait amid Baldwin's prior attempts to sell the house, with one user writing that it "was inexplicably left in place and might be one of the reasons the house still hasn't sold."

"No one wants to be reminded of the race grifter and cultural appropriator who occupied the space," the Redditor added.

Hilaria faced viral criticism in December 2020 after it was revealed that she was born and raised in Boston and not Spain, as she had implied in public — and possibly to her husband.

In a 2019 YouTube chat with comedian Kevin Nealon, while Baldwin was still playing then-President Donald Trump on "Saturday Night Live," he talked money and said he hoped to leave trust funds worth $1 million for each of his kids. He said he had five children at the time and now has seven with Hilaria, plus one from his prior marriage to Kim Basinger.

Baldwin also mentioned "a minimum" of $30 million for his current wife. And he said he hoped she'd think about it while with her new boyfriend after he dies.

"Money — so I could leave it to my wife when I'm dead, because I'm not gonna be around much longer," he said. "Let's face it, and I need to leave my wife a huge pile."

Baldwin also describes some past violent encounters with paparazzi and cracks up after Nealon fumbles the name of his podcast, "Here's the Thing."

The thing is, Baldwin also put on Hilaria's accent.

"I always do my racist accent with my wife. I make the accent of my wife the most racist."
— Alec Baldwin in 2019 YouTube with Kevin Nealon

"I make the accent of my wife the most racist," Baldwin explained at one point, impersonating her enunciation. "She's like, ‘I want you to stop. Every time people ask you to give your opinion, doesn’t mean you have to give it.'"

The interview resurfaced in a Vulture article about Baldwin's return to the "Rust" movie set, where Hutchins died in October 2021. Afterward, his first gig back was "a little job" in the U.K., according to the report.

Baldwin has reportedly struggled to find work after someone handed him a loaded gun during a scene rehearsal for "Rust," and he wound up fatally shooting Hutchins. There should only have been dummy rounds in the revolver. One was real.

Baldwin reached an undisclosed settlement with Hutchins' widower in June.

Fox News' Julia Bonavita contributed to this report.

Pitch video:

Spoiler: Archive

All Baldwin had to do was check the cylinder to verify it was loaded with blanks.

I'm pretty sure I made a glib comment somewhere in the thread about how it was just an accident, but shortly afterwards, my dad out of nowhere, without elaboration, asked me, "someone hands you a gun and tells you it's not loaded - what do you do?" And I instinctively responded, "check it anyway." I'm sitting there thinking wait a minute when he tells me that he was specifically thinking of this case when asking that question. But I hung around him a lot and took hunting safety classes as a kid.

Idk, it's frustrating, to say the least, when anti-gun people have such a fart-huffing moral superiority about their stance that they refuse to learn and practice the most basic rules of gun handling. Like, they think that guns shouldn't exist so they shouldn't have to do those things. Except Baldwin explicitly had a gun brought into his personal film set to use as a prop.

It vaguely reminds me of anti-car people who still insist on driving (but make it "less bad" to themselves by driving EVs and hybrids), but refuse to learn how to drive with any efficiency and skill.

1-Ask the armorer to do their safety check in front of him
2-Do his own safety check
3-Don't point the firearm at another person
4-Don't put your finger on the trigger
5-Don't manipulate the hammer

6-Don't use a real gun as a movie prop

For real, Baldwin had this filming taking place in NM, partly for cost savings, but also to avoid the unions and union rules of California. Those rules include, from what I recall, pretty strict ones about the use of guns on set. A big part of Baldwin's decision to film in New Mexico was Tarantino-esque autism about being as "authentic" and "old-school" as possible (without those dirty dang regulations getting in the way), despite modern technology rendering such mindsets pointless. A prop model of a gun with post-filming effects would have worked just fine without the vast majority of moviegoers even noticing, but that wouldn't have been real enough for Baldwin, despite him being so staunchly anti-gun in any other, much more legitimate, scenario.

 

[Pocket Dragoon]

Baldwin's reaction video:

 

[FatMan]

The armorers trial is about to begin next week, they did a bunch of pretrial stuff today.

TLDW:

State's motion to exclude OSHA report - Report basically said anyone who could possibly fuck things up on that set, did in fact fuck things up. Defense argues that it shows that the employer was to blame, not Reed. State argues that it needlessly shifts blame from defendant to other parties. Motion denied, report is in.

Defense motion to sever the tampering with evidence charge - Dumb bitch had her friend take her bag of coke from her hotel room after the shooting, then texted her to get it back after the cops were done searching. Defense doesn't want any mention of her drug use allowed. Motion denied, Reed's history of drug use on set and the tampering are both in.

Defense motion to dismiss - Defense lawyers fucked up and didn't seek to exclude their texts with her on the search consent form for her phone. Defense argues that the key state witness (the prop shop guy) saw those texts, which makes a fair trial impossible. Judge reviews said texts and finds that they were only talking about how to handle the media and didn't give away any trial strategy at that time. Motion denied. Defense plans to file writ and interlocutory.

State's motion to exclude late witness - Defense was seeking to call a "new" expert witness (another armorer) just a week out from the trial start. State argues that late witness is late and that the defense had plenty of time to find an expert before the witness list deadline. Defense argues that she's broke and they don't have resources to do their job. Motion granted, late witness is out.

Judge doesn't seem to fuck around, and the prosecutor was constantly amped up and yelling. Cameras will be in the courtroom for the trial so should be a fun one.

 

[CircuSphere]

Judge doesn't seem to fuck around, and the prosecutor was constantly amped up and yelling. Cameras will be in the courtroom for the trial so should be a fun one.

If only there was an upstanding middle aged family man with a law degree and a libertarian bent to cover this. Such a man would have literal days worth of content and make a small fortune in super chat revenue but alas.

 

[make_it_so]

If only there was an upstanding middle aged family man with a law degree and a libertarian bent to cover this. Such a man would have literal days worth of content and make a small fortune in super chat revenue but alas.

Nah, man, it's more fun to get smashed from 11pm to 5am talking about shit no one cares about, or having gay swinger meetups in a hot tub.

 

[Pocket Dragoon]

The trial of Hanna Gutierrez is live.

Edit: Day 3, the tech who did forensics on the ammo is testifying.

I missed the first couple days, but at least this one covering the technical firearm stuff; it'll be fun to see her defense team try to pin it all on Baldwin.

And while she cleaned up better than I thought she would, by losing the dangerhair & piercings; she still kept the danger eyes.