What do we know so far about the murder on the set of Rust
Alec Baldwin accidentally killed director of photography Halyna Hutchins with a gunshot, not knowing she was loaded. The actor: "My heart is broken". Many open questions
There were live bullets in the gun used by Alec Baldwin on the set of 'Rust', but he didn't know it. The US media reported this on the basis of police documents. The gun was handed to the actor by an assistant who told him it was safe to use. Meanwhile, Rust Movie Productions, the film's production company, also launched an internal investigation following the death of the director of photography. "Safety is our priority," reads a statement. "While we are not aware of any on-set safety complaints, we would conduct an internal investigation into our procedures."
Baldwin said he was "cooperating fully" with the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office in New Mexico. "My heart is broken for her husband, their son and for everyone who knew and loved Halyna," the 63-year-old actor, also producer of the film, wrote on Twitter in which he plays an outlaw whose grandson is sentenced to prison. hanging for manslaughter. "There are no words to express my shock and sadness at the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and a much admired colleague of ours."
There are many open questions
According to a first affidavit based on the reconstruction of the Santa Fe County sheriff, the assistant director who had provided Baldwin with the gun had passed it to him as a "cold weapon," meaning no bullets. The five-page statement leaves many questions unanswered but makes it clear that not only Baldwin but also the assistant thought it was an unloaded gun. A weapons specialist also enters the investigation who was present on the set and allegedly witnessed the tragedy and who would examine the weapon immediately after the shot.
The manager was on her first assignment
The gun control officer on the set was a 20-year-old on her first assignment in that role, a document obtained from the BBC, which lists the crew members expected to be on set that day, emerges. Baldwin was interrogated by law enforcement and his bloodstained stage suit was acquired as evidence along with the gun. At the moment no one is under investigation for the incident, in which director Joel Souza was also injured in the shoulder.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the weapon had already been fired by mistake in the past. According to sources, standard firearms safety protocols in the film industry have not been followed with the necessary rigor. Last Saturday, the replacement for Alec Baldwin, the sources add, had fired two shots with the same gun which, even in that case, was reported as "cold", ie without ammunition. "There should have been an investigation," a member of the crew told the US news outlet, "there were no security meetings. There was no guarantee it wouldn't happen again. All they wanted was to hurry. , quickly, quickly ".
Who was the victim
Hutchins, 42, of Ukrainian nationality, grew up on a Soviet military base in the Arctic, studied journalism in Kiev and film in Los Angeles. Two years ago she was called a "rising star" by American Cinematographer magazine. Last year she worked on the set of Adam Egypt Mortimer's 'Archenemy'.
According to the Los Angeles Times, some cameramen had left the set hours before the tragedy after complaining about working conditions. Union members complained that they had been promised hotel rooms in Santa Fe, near the filming locations, but once filming began, they were asked to drive 50 miles from Albuquerque each morning to get to the set in Bonanza. Creek Ranch.
Incidents of this kind are extremely rare on movie sets, where guns are usually loaded with blanks. The best known precedent is the death of Brandon Lee. The 28-year-old son of martial arts star Bruce Lee was hit by a real bullet while filming 'The Crow'.
The crew had complained about the job offers
A few hours before the actor shot Hutchins, part of the film crew had left the set to protest the working conditions. The technicians were exasperated by the excessive hours, the long journeys to the set, and the back payments. A member of the cameraman team also filed a complaint for non-compliance with security protocols. "The safety of our cast and crew is a top priority for Rust Productions and everyone involved in the business," said the production company, "although we have not received any official complaints regarding gun safety. or accessories on set, we will review our internal procedures, while production will be stopped. "
