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

[mickey2942]

Had the same thought about drug and alcohol tests. From the reporting so far, it's only said they spoke to people and didn't mention anything about any testing.

The police probably would have needed a warrant. And, since the narrative has been put forth that in no way is the actor responsible for this tragedy, it was probably deemed a "moot" point.

 

[Betty P]

The police probably would have needed a warrant. And, since the narrative has been put forth that in no way is the actor responsible for this tragedy, it was probably deemed a "moot" point.

From what I understand in the news media, there's an affadavit and a search warrant that were issued by LE. News media was quoting from them last night. Reading those might clear up a lot of questions.

Has anyone come across a copy of the Santa Fe LE's affadavit and SW?

 

[happyday]

Liking or not Liking an actor has nothing to do with the issue.

What really matters is showing respect to staff as a one of the producers, eg: bosses.

Treating people well in terms of safe working conditions, adequate pay and accommodation while working in this project.

Is it too much to ask?

Oh I agree! But I don’t know how responsible he was personally for those conditions. Apparently he was supportive of the crew that walked off so I just don’t know.
What I meant was that a lot of people (not here at WS so much, but some) are saying he should be criminally charged and then bringing in his temper. I haven’t seen evidence that his bad personality is what caused this, but if it turns out it did then I agree!

 

[whitelilac]

seems the people in whole chain of command were negligent...from source (armorer) to shooter.

 

[JudgeJoe]

I know many would be happy to see AB take the fall here. I don't like him much either, and he doesn't seem like a nice person. But IMO, it was not his job to check the gun. How about holding the person who had one job to do and could not do it properly? The Amorer, who didn't even know how to handle blanks.

Are we going to start sending people to jail because they are not...nice?

Moo.

I agree. No one should be persecuted because they are not nice. <modsnip>

 

[Dotta]

seems the people in whole chain of command were negligent...from source (armorer) to shooter.

As they say: A fish rots from the head!

Did any of the producers say sorry?
Did they meet with the crew?

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

'Rust' filmmaker Joel Souza breaks silence after colleague Halyna Hutchins' death on set (nbcnews.com)

Souza remembers Hutchins as an "incredibly talented" cinematographer after surviving the movie set accident, involving a prop gun, that ended his friend's life.

"Rust" film director Joel Souza, who is recovering after being shot with a prop gun fired by producer and actor Alec Baldwin on Thursday while filming, said he is "gutted by the loss of my friend and colleague" cinematographer Halyna Hutchins who was killed as a result of the same film set accident.

"She was kind, vibrant, incredibly talented, fought for every inch and always pushed me to be better," Souza said in a statement to NBC News.

Hutchins was working as the director of photography for “Rust” alongside Souza in Santa Fe, New Mexico when Baldwin discharged a prop firearm on set. Hutchins was flown by helicopter to the University of New Mexico Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, while Souza was taken to the hospital by ambulance, officials said...

 

[steeltowngirl]

The armourer prepares the gun and delivers it to the AD. The AD inspects the gun and hands it to the actor, stating “cold gun.”

Except in this case the armourer failed to prepare and deliver a cold gun, and the AD apparently failed to check it.

Has anyone seen a statement from the armourer?

I haven’t seen any statements from Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. A social media account cited in this article appears to have been deleted.

The 24-year-old head armorer of Alec Baldwin's movie 'Rust' told a podcast she 'almost didn't take' her last job because she wasn't sure if she was 'ready'

I would like to see something from the assistant director.

 

[Gardenista]

Film industry reacts to shooting on "Rust" set that killed Halyna Hutchins and injured Joel Souza - CBS News

 

[Gardenista]

New stuff in here

‘Inexperienced’ Armorer, Tight Budget, Walk Offs: Trouble Was Brewing on Baldwin Film

 

[MrsWatson]

A horrible, tangled string of failures.

 

[Chelly]

Affidavit offers new details on Baldwin shooting that killed cinematographer


...The document says the sheriff’s office was seeking photographs of the interior and exterior of the building, as well as cameras and media players, storage devices of all types, firearms and documentation of ownership, used and unused ammunition and casings, any other prop projectiles, and the clothing worn by Baldwin during the shooting.

Cano did not include every known fact in the case, he wrote in the warrant, but included facts he believed were necessary to establish probable cause for a search.

Bonanza Creek Ranch owners and operators could not be reached for comment. Imogene Hughes, the ranch’s longtime owner, died earlier this month. Her daughter, Denise Spaccamonti, said in an Oct. 8 interview Bonanza Creek was continuing to operate under the guidance of her brother, Richard Hughes.

It remained unclear Friday whether anyone would face charges in the death of Hutchins, a Los Angeles-based cinematographer from Ukraine who grew up on a Soviet military base within the Arctic Circle, according to her website. She was named as one of American Cinematographer’s Rising Stars of 2019.

District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies issued a statement Friday saying the case was still in “its preliminary stages of investigation.”

“We are assisting the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office and have offered our full support to them,” she said. “At this time, we do not know if charges will be filed. We will look into all facts and evidence of the case with great discretion and have further information at a later time. Our thoughts are with all affected by this tragedy.”

District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Sascha Anderson said Carmack-Altwies believes a prop gun would still be considered a deadly weapon if homicide charges were filed, but her office was waiting for the investigation to be completed.

“We’re all in uncharted territory here,” Anderson said.

 

[oceanstarryeyes]

I don’t see why many people are holding Baldwin responsible. It seems to me the armourer is the one who made the mistake. She had one job………

Alec Baldwin 'Rust' Head Gun Handler Had Doubts About Experience Level

He had no reason to be pointing the gun at her.

 

[Chelly]

He had no reason to be pointing the gun at her.

I think he was supposed to be filmed head on, face to the camera shooting the gun, thus gun was pointed in direction of camera. MOO

 

[whitelilac]

New stuff in here

‘Inexperienced’ Armorer, Tight Budget, Walk Offs: Trouble Was Brewing on Baldwin Film

"Clearly production thought better of it (grounds for termination), decided to roll the dice and pay the ultimate price.”
more like russian roulette

Another thing, according to another article upthread, the armorer removed the blanks before she handed the gun to police. That's interfering with evidence in a death investigation.

 

[doyoulovemepfg]

I haven’t seen any statements from Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. A social media account cited in this article appears to have been deleted.

The 24-year-old head armorer of Alec Baldwin's movie 'Rust' told a podcast she 'almost didn't take' her last job because she wasn't sure if she was 'ready'

I would like to see something from the assistant director.

Armorer apparently has been refusing to respond to multiple requests for comment from like every outlet I've seen.

 

[doyoulovemepfg]

"Clearly production thought better of it (grounds for termination), decided to roll the dice and pay the ultimate price.”
more like russian roulette

Another thing, according to another article upthread, the armorer removed the blanks before she handed the gun to police. That's interfering with evidence in a death investigation.

BBM. Yikes all around. Something is definitely up here.

 

[doyoulovemepfg]

This feels telling.

‘Inexperienced’ Armorer, Tight Budget, Walk Offs: Trouble Was Brewing on Baldwin Film

Referring to an unnamed assistant director, Mitchell can be overheard telling someone nearby, “this AD that yelled at me at lunch asking about revisions, this *****. Did you see him lean over my desk and yell at me? He’s supposed to check the guns. He’s responsible for what happened.”

 

[Betty P]

Already read or heard most of what's in the article, but here is some info new to me

"But a production source told The Daily Beast that Gutierrez-Reed didn’t “quadruple check” to make sure the firearm was safe before letting Halls select it from the cart, who then deemed it safe for Baldwin to use.

“We were barely rehearsing, we were just getting the camera into position,” the source explained. “It was a shot of Alec pulling this firearm out in this little church, and he pulled it out and I don’t know if he pulled the trigger, or if he fumbled with the hammer, I don’t know exactly why it discharged.”

Halls and Gutierrez-Reed have not yet commented on the tragedy, but prop gun experts told The Daily Beast the armorer is usually ultimately responsible for the weapons on set.

“It’s up to that armorer company to prepare the firearms a day or two before and test fire them, make sure everything’s okay and the blank rounds are okay,” said Richard Howell, of Foxtrot Productions, a film armorer with 30 years of experience. “In film and TV, it’s a very controlled environment, you have to do risk assessments.”

...

The production source said that crew members had complained directly to Halls about the misfirings over the weekend, demanding to make sure they were noted in the production report. “All of us yelled at him, ‘That better be on the production report, these guys are irresponsible and shouldn’t be here,’” the source explained.

“That should be automatic grounds for termination on a union film set, you should be gone. The first time that gun went off without telling anybody, that whole department should have been replaced, immediately. Clearly production thought better of it, decided to roll the dice and pay the ultimate price.”
​

It sounds like they were having problems with the Asst Director, too. They were concerned he wasn't reporting the previous incidents of gun misfirings. Sounds like it was a very stressful set due to problems with budget and top management for the film.

There have been strikes on other films and shows in the last couple of weeks. Now that COVID 19 is waning and production resuming, it seems like the studios and top brass are trying to cut too many corners and costs, putting a lot of people at risk. It's not necessary. Someone needs to crack down on those studios & their bosses.

 

[JudgeJoe]

New stuff in here

‘Inexperienced’ Armorer, Tight Budget, Walk Offs: Trouble Was Brewing on Baldwin Film

From the above link, paraphrased…

At least 6 fed-up crewmembers walked off set, hours before actor/producer AB was handed a prop gun

AB believed it had no cartridges inside & discharged it

“We were barely rehearsing, we were just getting the camera into position,” the source explained. “It was a shot of Alec pulling this firearm out in this little church, and he pulled it out and I don’t know if he pulled the trigger, or if he fumbled with the hammer, I don’t know exactly why it discharged.”

Mamie Mitchell called 911. “this f-ing AD that yelled at me at lunch asking about revisions, this motherf-er. Did you see him lean over my desk and yell at me? He’s supposed to check the guns. He’s responsible for what happened.”

First assistant director, Dave Halls... “He’s supposed to be our last line of defense and he failed us,” the production source added. “He’s the last person that’s supposed to look at that firearm.”

According the search warrant, Halls had even called out “cold gun!”.

Armorer, Gutierrez-Reed, didn’t “quadruple check” to make sure the firearm was safe before letting Halls select it from the cart.

The rushed 4 day film shooting schedule was set to accomodate AB’s podcast schedule.