Tragedy on the set: Alec Baldwin was told the gun was safe
Investigations, weapon delivered by assistant director
Alec Baldwin was handed a loaded weapon by an assistant director who indicated it was safe, shortly before the tragic accident that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins while filming a western movie on a Santa Fe ranch.
This was revealed by the first documents on the investigation released by the American media. According to investigators, however, assistant director David Halls did not know the weapon had live bullets before he handed it to Baldwin.
The head of gun control on the set of Santa Fe, the site of the tragedy in which Alec Baldwin was involved, was a young woman of twenty on her first assignment, Hannah Gutierrez Reed.
She revealed the BBC, after obtaining a document showing the crew members who were expected on set that day.
The detail that Reed was on her first assignment was reported by the Los Angeles Times. The prop gun, with which Baldwin killed Halyna Hutchins, contained a "live single round," according to an email sent by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees to its members.
Standard safety protocols, including gun checks, were not fully respected on the set of 'Rust' and in the days leading up to the accident in which Halyna Hutchins lost her life, at least one operator had complained to a production manager. about gun safety on set. The American media reported it citing some sources, according to which last Saturday the stunt double of Alec Baldwin had accidentally fired two shots after being told that the gun had no ammunition, not even blanks.
"Load or not, a weapon even if on stage it is never aimed at another human being". Set guns expert Bryan Carpenter said with The New York Post, pointing out how Alec Baldwin violated rule number one on set gun safety. The actor had "obviously pointed the weapon at another human being," he added.
Assistant Halls had handed the gun to Baldwin screaming "cold gun," which meant the gun had no real bullets. At that point, the actor hit cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in the chest, killing her. While director Joel Souza, who was behind her, was injured. Investigators confiscated all the weapons and ammunition present in the set, the cameras and computer equipment and the clothes worn by the actors at the time of the shooting. The Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office said the investigation "remains open" and no charges have been filed. According to the Los Angeles Times and other media outlets, several members of the crew dropped out of production due to concerns about safety conditions and issues, including gun safety procedures, and Covid protocols not followed prior to filming. But in a statement, the production company, Rust, stressed that "the safety of our cast and crew is the top priority. And" although we have not been notified of any official complaints regarding the safety of weapons or props on the set, we will conduct an internal review of our procedures while production is stopped. "
