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

[Luna20]

My take on the “awesome” response is that she was being sarcastic. But…boy…that sarcasm won’t play well in court.

That will be tricky to get around. It’s a good reminder not to be casual about choice of words.

 

[katydid23]

My take on the “awesome” response is that she was being sarcastic. But…boy…that sarcasm won’t play well in court.

Yes, 'awesome' is production-manager speak for 'are u serious?'

In my experience, production managers are often curt and sarcastic. Kind of a fun and humorous quality in the face of the prevailing stress and strife in their daily career turbulence.

 

[BeachSky]

Alec Baldwin sued by family of late ‘Rust’ cinematographer Halyna Hutchins
That re enactment ….
Wow. Game changer.

MOO
I think this is why AB (early on)got his damage control narrative out that HH told him
-what to do
-where to point the gun
Dangerous & desperate approach blaming the victim IMO.

 

[happyday]

My take on the “awesome” response is that she was being sarcastic. But…boy…that sarcasm won’t play well in court.

Yeah. Had she taken action to remedy the unsafe working conditions it would be one thing. But she didn’t, and it seems that nobody did.

 

[wary]

Yes, 'awesome' is production-manager speak for 'are u serious?'

In my experience, production managers are often curt and sarcastic. Kind of a fun and humorous quality in the face of the prevailing stress and strife in their daily career turbulence.

Career turbulence, stress and strife? She ain’t seen nothing yet!

 

[Gardenista]

Halyna Hutchins' Husband Matthew to Give First Interview Since She Was Fatally Shot on Rust Set

 

[Laughing]

That will be tricky to get around. It’s a good reminder not to be casual about choice of words.

Yep, how about texting The Armorer to say "was told there was another discharge, lock all the guns up I am coming over ASAP?"

Apparently movies, or this movie, just doesn't work that way....

jmho ymmv lrr

 

[katydid23]

Yep, how about texting The Armorer to say "was told there was another discharge, lock all the guns up I am coming over ASAP?"

Apparently movies, or this movie, just doesn't work that way....

jmho ymmv lrr

It's a total nightmare job---especially on a low budget Indie film like this. She may even find herself in some trouble, as she may have made some sketchy decisions herself about safety concerns.

https://www.masterclass.com/article...-of-a-production-manager-during-preproduction
5 Key Responsibilities of a Production Manager During Preproduction
The responsibilities of a production manager vary depending on where a production is in its development process. During pre-production, the production manager focuses mainly on making a logistical plan and detailed schedule for the shoot. The production manager works closely with the producer, line producer, first assistant director, and others to break down a script for purposes of scheduling and budgeting. A production manager’s pre-production work generally takes place in the production office. Key duties include:

1. Locations. The production manager oversees the initial location scouting and manages any financial arrangements to secure locations.
2. Shooting schedule. The production manager works with the producers to make a shooting schedule that satisfies the scheduling restrictions of all cast and crew as well as location availability.
3. Budget. Creates a working budget that accounts for personnel, equipment, and locations.
4. Crew hires. Work with the line producer to hire crews and contract with suppliers.
5. Housing and transportation. Coordinates all necessary transportation and housing for the cast and crew for the duration of the filming schedule.

So she works heavily in budgeting and scheduling and worked with the AD and the producers to somehow get everything paid for and completed on time.

She may have helped make decisions that cut out or cut short the safety meetings and the use of the armorer instead of just handing out the weapons with no oversight.

 

[Deleted member 39678]

Alec Baldwin is 'blaming others' for Halyna Hutchins' death, and in 'complete denial', family attorney says

On the heels of Hutchins' family filing a wrongful death lawsuit against Baldwin and others on Tuesday, the family's attorney, Brian Panish, appeared on "Dan Abrams Live," where he claimed the "30 Rock" star "is continuing to do what he's done throughout this – blaming others."

Alec Baldwin is 'blaming others' for Halyna Hutchins' death, and in 'complete denial', family attorney says

 

[katydid23]

Alec Baldwin is 'blaming others' for Halyna Hutchins' death, and in 'complete denial', family attorney says


Alec Baldwin is 'blaming others' for Halyna Hutchins' death, and in 'complete denial', family attorney says

I always thought it may have rubbed Halyna's husband the strong way, when AB came right out, immediately, saying how he was speaking with her husband every day and he was very close to her and her family, etc. That seemed like a PR move on his part. And didn't seem genuine.

He had just shot her, and suddenly he wants to be best buddies with her husband?

 

[mickey2942]

I always thought it may have rubbed Halyna's husband the strong way, when AB came right out, immediately, saying how he was speaking with her husband every day and he was very close to her and her family, etc. That seemed like a PR move on his part. And didn't seem genuine.

He had just shot her, and suddenly he wants to be best buddies with her husband?

Halyna Hutchins family was always going to file. They waited until AB went off the Proverbial Cliff with his "tell all story". That video, with AB telling the story is gold. AB can refute any random Twitter remarks saying he did not write those statements and blame his wife. But, the video interview, has locked him in. AB is a narcissist. He loves attention. He wasn't getting the right kind of attention so he did an interview, televised. I doubt his attorneys supported this.
5 key takeaways from Alec Baldwin's exclusive interview with George Stephanopoulos

 

[Mo Thuairim]

“This Cannot Be Right”: How the Gun in Alec Baldwin’s Hands Turned the ‘Rust’ Set Deadly

Five errors contributed to cinematographer Halyna Hutchins’s death. Inside the investigation into a fatal accident that’s shaken the film industry—and sent the district attorney on a quest for answers.

(...)

In late February, the D.A.’s office expects to receive a forensics report from the FBI’s crime lab that they hope will reveal critical details about the live round of ammunition that killed Hutchins, including—possibly—who physically handled it, placing the deadly object in an environment where it never should have been.

(...)

While the district attorney hasn’t yet filed charges and won’t know for several more months if she will, Carmack-Altwies already sees that Hutchins’s death was caused not by a single action but by numerous failures and mistakes. The cinematographer, mother, and wife was killed by an event cascade—each incident contributing to the moment that claimed her life. Virtually no one involved is willing to admit to any culpability, especially as the threat of prosecution looms.

(...)

1: THE HIRING OF THE ARMORER

2: THE INTRODUCTION OF THE BULLET

3: LOADING THE BULLET

4: LAX ON-SET SAFETY INSPECTION

5: THE GUN GOES OFF

(...)

Finally, there was this bombshell claim in the interview: “I didn’t pull the trigger.”

That caught the attention of D.A. Carmack-Altwies. “I didn’t know too much about guns, certainly not about 1850s-era revolvers. So when I first heard that, I was like, ‘Oh, that’s crazy,’ ” she says.

Baldwin says that he merely pulled back the hammer on the gun. FBI analysis of the weapon will determine functionality, as well as whether mechanical failures might have caused it to go off. But in the meantime, Carmack-Altwies and her investigative team did an unofficial test of their own. “One of the investigators in my office happens to have a very old type revolver, and so he brought it, at my request, so that we could look at it and see if that was at all possible,” she says.

They cleared a room in the office, and two investigators inspected the gun—the one who had supplied it, then a second officer who verified that it was empty. “Then they visually showed me,” says Carmack-Altwies. “You can pull the hammer back without actually pulling the trigger and without actually locking it. So you pull it back partway, it doesn’t lock, and then if you let it go, the firing pin can hit the primer of the bullet.”

And that can cause a live round of ammunition to fire.

(...)

(Very long new Vanity Fair article at link)

 

[Cool Cats]

“This Cannot Be Right”: How the Gun in Alec Baldwin’s Hands Turned the ‘Rust’ Set Deadly

Five errors contributed to cinematographer Halyna Hutchins’s death. Inside the investigation into a fatal accident that’s shaken the film industry—and sent the district attorney on a quest for answers.

(...)

In late February, the D.A.’s office expects to receive a forensics report from the FBI’s crime lab that they hope will reveal critical details about the live round of ammunition that killed Hutchins, including—possibly—who physically handled it, placing the deadly object in an environment where it never should have been.

(...)

While the district attorney hasn’t yet filed charges and won’t know for several more months if she will, Carmack-Altwies already sees that Hutchins’s death was caused not by a single action but by numerous failures and mistakes. The cinematographer, mother, and wife was killed by an event cascade—each incident contributing to the moment that claimed her life. Virtually no one involved is willing to admit to any culpability, especially as the threat of prosecution looms.

(...)

1: THE HIRING OF THE ARMORER

2: THE INTRODUCTION OF THE BULLET

3: LOADING THE BULLET

4: LAX ON-SET SAFETY INSPECTION

5: THE GUN GOES OFF

(...)

Finally, there was this bombshell claim in the interview: “I didn’t pull the trigger.”

That caught the attention of D.A. Carmack-Altwies. “I didn’t know too much about guns, certainly not about 1850s-era revolvers. So when I first heard that, I was like, ‘Oh, that’s crazy,’ ” she says.

Baldwin says that he merely pulled back the hammer on the gun. FBI analysis of the weapon will determine functionality, as well as whether mechanical failures might have caused it to go off. But in the meantime, Carmack-Altwies and her investigative team did an unofficial test of their own. “One of the investigators in my office happens to have a very old type revolver, and so he brought it, at my request, so that we could look at it and see if that was at all possible,” she says.

They cleared a room in the office, and two investigators inspected the gun—the one who had supplied it, then a second officer who verified that it was empty. “Then they visually showed me,” says Carmack-Altwies. “You can pull the hammer back without actually pulling the trigger and without actually locking it. So you pull it back partway, it doesn’t lock, and then if you let it go, the firing pin can hit the primer of the bullet.”

And that can cause a live round of ammunition to fire.

(...)

(Very long new Vanity Fair article at link)

So Alec Baldwin could be right. That he pulled back the hammer and it caused the gun to fire, that he did not pull the trigger.

He might be found not as liable if the FBI can prove he didn't have to pull the trigger for it to go off.

If he had to actually pull the trigger for it to go off seems that would make him more liable. Although a jury might see pulling back the hammer just as negligent as pulling the trigger - for damages awards.

 

[Mo Thuairim]

So Alec Baldwin could be right. That he pulled back the hammer and it caused the gun to fire, that he did not pull the trigger.

He might be found not as liable if the FBI can prove he didn't have to pull the trigger for it to go off.

If he had to actually pull the trigger for it to go off seems that would make him more liable. Although a jury might see pulling back the hammer just as negligent as pulling the trigger - for damages awards.

Could be. I suppose it depends on how the gun that AB used actually fires. As far as I remember it was a modern Italian replica of a vintage Colt. Sounds like the gun the DA did that unofficial test with was an actual vintage gun. So it depends on whether the modern replica had additional safety features. We'll just have to wait for the FBI's report I suppose.

 

[jjenny]

So Baldwin told the truth. The gun can fire without the trigger being pulled.

"After two investigators, including the one who supplied the gun, examined the weapon, Carmack-Altwies came to a conclusion. "You can pull the hammer back without actually pulling the trigger and without actually locking it," she explained. "So you pull it back partway, it doesn't lock, and then if you let it go, the firing pin can hit the primer of the bullet.""
Police experiment reveals Alec Baldwin could have fired gun in Rust shooting without actually pulling the trigger (yahoo.com)

 

[MajorHoople]

Alec Baldwin buys historic 50-acre farm in Arlington for $1.7m | Daily Mail Online

"The day the sale was finalized, Baldwin was hit with a lawsuit from slain cinematographer Hutchins' family

The suit stated that 'Hutchins deserved to live, and the Defendants had the power to prevent her death if they had only held sacrosanct their duty to protect the safety of every individual on a set where firearms were present instead of cutting corners on safety procedures where human lives were at stake, rushing to stay on schedule and ignoring numerous complaints of safety violations.'

The attorneys said in the video presented Tuesday that Baldwin had 'refused' training for the kind of gun draw he was doing when he shot Hutchins. The lawsuit also claims that Baldwin never checked the gun himself for ammunition before using it.

They also presented a list of 'at least 15 industry standards' an attorney for the family said producers had ignored on set.

These included failure to use a prop gun rather than a live weapon, a lack of individuals qualified to handle weapons on set at the time of the shooting, and lack of protective equipment for crew."

 

[Lux et Veritas]

'Rust' investigation: Alec Baldwin possibly could have fired gun without pulling trigger, Santa Fe DA says

Also, remember, AD Dave Halls, back in December, had emphatically stated (through his attorney) that AB did NOT pull the trigger, did NOT have his finger inside the trigger guard, but had his finger parallel to the gun.

'Rust' assistant director maintains Alec Baldwin's claim he didn't pull trigger in fatal shooting: attorney

 

[Ruby12345]

This is just even more reason to ban live firearms on sets, if the antique guns can just go off without pulling the trigger.

 

[Kiranerys]

'Rust' investigation: Alec Baldwin possibly could have fired gun without pulling trigger, Santa Fe DA says

Also, remember, AD Dave Halls, back in December, had emphatically stated (through his attorney) that AB did NOT pull the trigger, did NOT have his finger inside the trigger guard, but had his finger parallel to the gun.

'Rust' assistant director maintains Alec Baldwin's claim he didn't pull trigger in fatal shooting: attorney

Which still comes back to the live ammo, if the gun was filled with dummy rounds or even blanks, Halyna wouldn't be dead, and it was the armourers job to check the rounds that she admits she loaded into the gun.
Sadly I agree with everyone else,it all comes down to saving money,which is why they had an inexperienced head armourer who was doing 2 jobs and had no support, when the priority should only ever be workplace safety. This set was an accident waiting to happen and it ended in the worst possible way.

 

[Laughing]

This is just even more reason to ban live firearms on sets, if the antique guns can just go off without pulling the trigger.

We've discussed this upthread. We use firearms and have yet to experience an accidental discharge.

AB admits that he pulled the hammer back. Generally, pulling the trigger releases the hammer to launch the projectile. Right now, it isn't clear how the hammer was released.

This is the origin of some English phrases --

hair trigger, generally refers to a person with a very short temper, very little irritation causes a major reaction

going of half-cocked, generally meaning attempting something one is not ready to complete

drop the hammer, generally meaning to finalize something with no turning back

Unfortunately all three seem to apply in this situation.

jmho ymmv lrr