Baldwin expressed “shock and sorrow” about the tragic accident that killed cinematographer Helena Hutchins
According to the police description, Alec Baldwin was described as having a safe “cold gun” on the set of his film “Rust”, but the prop gun had live rounds. fatal shooting investigation Released on Friday.
According to the county sheriff’s affidavit filed in Santa Fe Magistrates Court, the shot hit cinematographer Halina Hutchins in the chest and director Joel Souza, who was behind him, in the shoulder.
Hutchins died from his wounds and Souza was injured, but has since been discharged from a local hospital.
The affidavit from Santa Fe Sheriff’s Department Detective Joel Cano said the assistant director who handed the prop gun to Baldwin did not know it contained live rounds.
Baldwin said on Friday that he was shocked by the accidental shooting after reports emerged of a walk-out from “Rust” on set earlier in the week due to unsafe conditions.
The star of “30 Rock” and “The Hunt for Red October” said he was “fully cooperating” with authorities to determine how the incident happened on Thursday.
Production on the film was immediately halted. The sheriff’s department said no charges had been filed and the investigation was ongoing. Baldwin voluntarily made a statement about the shooting, the sheriff’s department said.
The affidavit was filed Friday in support of a search warrant for “old western-style clothing” worn by Baldwin, which contained blood stains, as well as firearms, documents, ammunition and cameras from the scene.
The search warrant was approved by a Santa Fe judge.
Mr Cano said the incident happened during a rehearsal at Bonanza Creek Ranch, south of Santa Fe, and it was unclear whether it was filmed.
He said the prop gun was one of three on a car outside a building. One of them was taken inside the film and handed over to Baldwin by the assistant director.
“As the assistant director handed the gun to actor Alec Baldwin, (he) shouted ‘cold gun’, indicating that the prop gun had no live rounds,” the affidavit said.
on-set working condition
As the investigation progressed, questions were raised about working conditions on the set of “Rust”, a small-budget Western film in which Baldwin was both the star and co-producer.
NS Los Angeles Times And Deadline Hollywood Six or seven camera operators had left the “Rust” set hours before the tragedy, citing several crew members and others close to the production.
Both outlets also reported that there had been at least one previous misfire with the prop gun.
“We cited everything from lack of payment for three weeks moving our hotels despite asking for them in our deals, lack of Covid protection, and on top of that, bad gun protection! Bad security period!” According to Deadline, a camera crew member wrote on a personal Facebook page.
Reuters could not immediately confirm the accounts. Rust Movie Productions did not respond to a request for comment Friday, but said in a statement that it was investigating.
“While we were not made aware of any official complaints related to weapon or prop safety on set, we will conduct an internal review of our procedures during the production shutdown,” the company said in its statement.
Baldwin, 63, expressed “shock and sadness about the tragic accident” on Friday that killed Hutchins. In a message on her social media accounts, she said that her “heart is broken for her husband, their son and all those who knew and loved Halina.”
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) said in a statement that it was devastated to learn of the death of Hutchins, who was a member of the union.
Representatives for Hutchins said in a statement that they “hope that this tragedy will reveal new lessons in ensuring better safety for each crew member on set.”
Hutchins, 42, who is originally from Ukraine, was named one of American Cinematographer’s Rising Stars of 2019. His last social media post, two days ago, shows his grin under a wide-brimmed hat while riding a horse. “One of the benefits of shooting a western is you can ride horses in your day :)” she captioned the video.
Known for his impersonation of former US President Donald Trump in the sketch show “Saturday Night Live”, Baldwin has appeared in over 100 TV and film comedies and dramas, and for his role as a cocky TV network executive in the satire Won Emmy Awards. 30 Rock”.
The accident restarted the debate as to whether certain types of prop guns should be banned on TV and movie sets.
Brandon Lee, son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, died at the age of 28 after being mortally wounded by a prop gun in an off-set accident during the shooting of “The Crow” in 1993.
“I don’t understand why we would use empty rounds on a day when you can emulate them,” Ben Rock, director and producer of the indie film, told Reuters on Friday.
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