Alec Baldwin fired prop gun, killing 1 on movie set, Oct 2021 #5

[clearskies1]

That was confusing to me. I’ve followed this from the beginning but I don’t recall what the final statement from Halls was. He was the complete opposite of AB, in being vocal and doing interviews. If Halls did any interviews I didn’t see them.

This article makes it even more confusing. ‘Rust’ AD David Halls not responsible for checking gun, lawyer claims

 

[Zella]

He was the complete opposite of AB, in being vocal and doing interviews. If Halls did any interviews I didn’t see them.

He obviously listened to his attorneys, unlike AB. MOO

 

[clearskies1]

Here is the Santa Fe Sheriff's Office report on its investigation of the shooting. 550 pages. Santa Fe Sheriff's Office Investigation Into "Rust" Shooting | PDF

 

[Luna20]

He obviously listened to his attorneys, unlike AB. MOO

His own worst enemy. Today it seems he was avoiding the press.

Alec Baldwin rushes into a car outside of his Manhattan apartment

Alec Baldwin has been seen for the first time since vowing to fight the involuntary manslaughter charges brought against him by Rust prosecutors.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Mo Thuairim]

Alec Baldwin’s ‘recklessness’ on set led to criminal charge, prosecutors say​

Alec Baldwin’s “recklessness”, and the failure of his production team to follow basic gun safety procedures on the set of the movie Rust, led to the decision to file a criminal charge against the US actor in the death of a cinematographer, prosecutors said.

Mary Carmack-Altwies, the Santa Fe district attorney, said Baldwin, and the movie’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, violated “all of the standards that we all have to follow if we have a gun in our hands” in the shooting death of Halyna Hutchins with a prop weapon during a rehearsal in New Mexico in 2021.

(...)

“Because of that, I would say this is not just an accident, this is a criminal accident. Prison is not necessarily the goal. What I want is justice for Halyna Hutchins, and I want people to take responsibility and take accountability for what their actions or inactions led to, and that’s Halyna Hutchins’ death.”

Special prosecutor Andrea Reeb, also interviewed by NBC, dismissed Baldwin’s insistence that the gun went off when he pulled back its hammer, and that he had not pulled the trigger, intentionally or otherwise.

“Well, he definitely pulled the trigger, and that’s confirmed by the FBI report,” she said.

(...)

Alec Baldwin’s ‘recklessness’ on set led to criminal charge, prosecutors say

Actor and Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, violated ‘all of the standards … if we have a gun in our hands,’ says Santa Fe DA district attorney

www.theguardian.com

 

[mickey2942]

Rust Armorer Speaks Out About Criminal Charges: 'We Intend to Bring the Full Truth to Light'

'Rust' armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed's attorneys said the involuntary manslaughter charges are 'the result of a very flawed investigation'

people.com

HGR was also charged, and it looks like she is also going to trial. I doubt that they will have a joint trial, as AB's defense is probably going to put the blame on her. And her defense will be...probably that she was overwhelmed, overworked, and AB wouldn't follow the rules.

 

[Ceska]

Actually, AB did blame (or try to blame) the victim for his actions, in aiming the gun at her. His words:

Baldwin said: “And [Hutchins] says to me, ‘Hold the gun lower. Go to your right. Okay, right there. All right, do that. Now show it a little bit lower.’ And she's getting me to position the gun.”

“She's guiding me through how she wants me to hold the gun for this angle,” he said. “I'm holding the gun where she told me to hold it, which ended up being aimed right below her armpit.”

Gotta call it like it is.

She (HH) was directing him, very common on a movie set for a cinematographer to direct the actors on what to do (especially when rehearsing a scene) . Not sure how directing an actor on a movie set can be construed as blame.

 

[Ceska]

His own worst enemy. Today it seems he was avoiding the press.

Alec Baldwin rushes into a car outside of his Manhattan apartment

Alec Baldwin has been seen for the first time since vowing to fight the involuntary manslaughter charges brought against him by Rust prosecutors.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Perhaps his attorney has told AB to not speak to the press?

Alec Baldwin 'Will Fight' Involuntary Manslaughter Charges to Be Filed in Rust Case, Attorney Says

Alec Baldwin's attorney said in a statement, 'This decision distorts Halyna Hutchins' tragic death and represents a terrible miscarriage of justice'

people.com

 

[mickey2942]

I posted about HGR above. I wonder why she didn't take a deal as well, like DH? That seems to be the best course of action to me. Her career as an "armorer" is over.

 

[wary]

Listening to attorneys on tv this morning, charges for this type of accident are usually dealt with in civil court, not criminal, unless there was some egregious, malicious, chronic violation of standard practices. JMO, it would need to rise to a higher level - for example, obvious, repetitive acts by the defendant to undermine safe practices in a way in which they're aware there is a risk of someone being harmed.

I kind of agree. This sort of tragedy is usually handled as a civil matter, not a criminal one. Seldom do you see corporations, officers, etc. held to a criminal standard in the case of an accidental death. Involuntary manslaughter charges are often applied in cases like drunk driving accidents that result in the death of another. In those cases, the defendant is knowingly engaging in explicitly illegal behavior that puts other people at risk. JMO, that doesn't seem to apply to AB's case. IANAL.

OTOH, pursuing this as a criminal matter could set quite a precedent, lowering the bar for applying criminal charges against anyone using a firearm in a negligent manner, resulting in death. That could be a good thing in making gun owners, manufacturers and sellers more accountable.

Actually, I believe that the bar is already quite low in cases where someone, ignoring rules of gun safety, points a gun at someone and pulls the trigger.

 

[steeltowngirl]

I thought I read on here, like thread #1 how they use camera angles, bullet proof glass and remote cameras for those kinds of shots. Even dummy rounds can be dangerous which is why gun safety is done regardless, if fire arms are used.

Camera angles, remote camera's and realistic looking fake guns. Especially during a rehearsal like this case. JMO.

If camera angles, remote cameras, fake guns can be used, then there is no reason for REAL guns on a movie set, EVER.

jmo

 

[wary]

If they are insistent that they need some type of real live firing gun to make it seem realistic, then how can they film a scene that is realistic and not point the gun at a person? I honestly don’t get it.

I believe that it’s possible to ‘cheat’ the camera angles so that the scene is realistic but the gun is not actually pointed at the person.

And I believe that at the time of the shooting, they were rehearsing and working out camera angles. So there was absolutely no need to have a real functioning gun for that.

MOO

 

[shotgun09]

JMO, but if the DA has proof ( via phone records and others ) that Baldwin ignored, blew off, or scoffed at attempts to require him attending a safety course...required by the armorer, for 1) using the very same weapon, and 2) training on the cross draw ( action of drawing the very same weapon used that killed HH ).....he's toast. His "better than thou" attitude when it came to safety is what may sink him. Again, MOO

 

[Mo Thuairim]

I posted about HGR above. I wonder why she didn't take a deal as well, like DH? That seems to be the best course of action to me. Her career as an "armorer" is over.

Maybe she wasn't offered a plea deal? Sounds like AB wasn't - he was just made aware of possible forthcoming charges by the DA's office...

(...)

Charges against Baldwin and Gutierrez Reed will be formally filed by the end of this month, Carmack-Altwies said. She will not be asking for the defendants to be arrested at that time, the prosecutor said.

Baldwin and his legal team feel "blindsided" by the announcement, (AB lawyer) Nikas said.

They were not given any indication Baldwin would face criminal charges and "learned of the charges in the media," he added.

Carmack-Altwies told CNN her office was in "almost constant contact" with the opposing parties' attorneys "for about the last six weeks."

"They didn't know exactly what was coming, but they were aware that we were contemplating charges and they were aware of what the contemplated charges were," she said.

(...)

https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/19/entertainment/rust-movie-shooting-alec-baldwin-charges-decision/index.html

 

[Laughing]

Perhaps his attorney has told AB to not speak to the press?

Alec Baldwin 'Will Fight' Involuntary Manslaughter Charges to Be Filed in Rust Case, Attorney Says

Alec Baldwin's attorney said in a statement, 'This decision distorts Halyna Hutchins' tragic death and represents a terrible miscarriage of justice'

people.com

Perhaps imho that occurred in October of 2021, but now AB is accepting the advice imho.

 

[minazoe]

look..this is why there are Unions in the movie world... this is a movie set... the people working on the set are union people...and all of this should go through the unions and the unions are there to defend actors, armourers etc. from charges like this where an on-site accident occurs. For me it's a long way to prove criminal neglect and involuntary manslaughter based on what they have said...The victims in this case settled with Alec and I assume the with the Movie as it is slated to continue production. Alec Baldwin is a victim. To come along after the fact and say Mr. Baldwin didn't do cross draw training 4 days before or whatever..that he hired a cheap armourer or he let people clown around etc..
does not show he personally created an environment for manslaughter.

all these people are Union..they are professionals..crazy stuff happens on set all the time..it's normal.

this was an accident. mOO

 

[steeltowngirl]

I believe that it’s possible to ‘cheat’ the camera angles so that the scene is realistic but the gun is not actually pointed at the person.

And I believe that at the time of the shooting, they were rehearsing and working out camera angles. So there was absolutely no need to have a real functioning gun for that.

MOO

Why is there a need EVER for a real gun on a movie set?

HH‘s life was lost, her family forever altered. Others traumatized, some physically harmed. Now there may be jail time for AB and HGR.

I hope the end result will be positive change for workplace safety in the movie industry.

 

[Arkay]

all these people are Union..they are professionals..crazy stuff happens on set all the time..it's normal.

Time for a change, then, no?

IMO holding people accountable is an important step towards a working environment in which crazy stuff does NOT happen "all the time."

 

[Ceska]

look..this is why there are Unions in the movie world... this is a movie set... the people working on the set are union people...and all of this should go through the unions and the unions are there to defend actors, armourers etc. from charges like this where an on-site accident occurs. For me it's a long way to prove criminal neglect and involuntary manslaughter based on what they have said...The victims in this case settled with Alec and I assume the with the Movie as it is slated to continue production. Alec Baldwin is a victim. To come along after the fact and say Mr. Baldwin didn't do cross draw training 4 days before or whatever..that he hired a cheap armourer or he let people clown around etc..
does not show he personally created an environment for manslaughter.

all these people are Union..they are professionals..crazy stuff happens on set all the time..it's normal.

this was an accident. mOO

Well-said. I agree with you.
A horrible, unfortunate accident.

Quote: ""I have no interest in engaging in recriminations or attribution of blame (to the producers or Mr. Baldwin)," Matthew Hutchins said in a statement. "All of us believe Halyna's death was a terrible accident. I am grateful that the producers and the entertainment community have come together to pay tribute to Halyna's final work.".

https://www.npr.org/2022/10/05/1126940511/halyna-hutchins-rust-alec-baldwin-settlement

 

[Laughing]

look..this is why there are Unions in the movie world... this is a movie set... the people working on the set are union people...and all of this should go through the unions and the unions are there to defend actors, armourers etc. from charges like this where an on-site accident occurs. For me it's a long way to prove criminal neglect and involuntary manslaughter based on what they have said...The victims in this case settled with Alec and I assume the with the Movie as it is slated to continue production. Alec Baldwin is a victim. To come along after the fact and say Mr. Baldwin didn't do cross draw training 4 days before or whatever..that he hired a cheap armourer or he let people clown around etc..
does not show he personally created an environment for manslaughter.

all these people are Union..they are professionals..crazy stuff happens on set all the time..it's normal.

this was an accident. mOO

Thought it was posted early -- this was a non-union production? Part of cost-saving sought by the producers?