Alec Baldwin told gun was safe before fatal shooting – court recordson October 23, 2021 at 2:44 am

- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -

The actor was handed the weapon by an assistant director before Halyna Hutchins was shot, a warrant says.

The gun that actor Alec Baldwin fired on set, killing a woman, was handed to him by an assistant director who told him it was safe, court records show.

The unnamed director did not know the prop contained live ammunition and indicated it was unloaded by shouting “cold gun!”, the records say.

Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot in the chest in Thursday’s incident on the set of the film Rust.

Director Joel Souza, who was standing behind her, was wounded.

The 48-year-old received emergency treatment for a shoulder injury and was later released from hospital.

Further details of the police investigation were released on Friday when a search warrant was filed at a court in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

It noted that Baldwin’s blood-stained outfit was taken as evidence along with the gun. Ammunition and other prop weapons were also taken from the set by police.

Alec Baldwin outside the Santa Fe County Sheriff's office following questioning over a fatal prop gun shooting, 21/10/2021

Image source, Jim Weber/The New Mexican

The 63-year-old actor was questioned by law enforcement, but no-one has been charged over the incident.

Earlier on Friday, Baldwin – who was the star and producer of the film – said he was “fully co-operating” with the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office.

“My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna,” he wrote on Twitter.

“There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours.”

Ms Hutchins, 42, was from Ukraine and grew up on a Soviet military base in the Arctic Circle. She studied journalism in Kyiv, and film in Los Angeles, and was named a “rising star” by the American Cinematographer magazine in 2019.

She was the director of photography for the 2020 action film Archenemy, directed by Adam Egypt Mortimer.

According to the Los Angeles Times, about half a dozen members of the camera crew on Rust walked out hours before the tragedy after protesting over working conditions on the set at the Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe.

The union members had reportedly complained that they were promised hotel rooms in Santa Fe, but once filming of the Western began they were required to drive 50 miles (80km) from Albuquerque every morning.

Meanwhile, the BBC has obtained a document showing which crew members were listed as scheduled to be on set that day.

It names a head armourer – the crew member responsible for checking firearms – who is in her twenties and had recently served in that role for only the first time.

An aerial view of the film set on Bonanza Creek Ranch

Image source, Reuters

The prop gun that Baldwin fired contained a “live single round”, according to an email sent by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees to its membership, reports Variety.

In Rust, Baldwin was starring as an outlaw whose grandson is sentenced to hang for an accidental murder.

The actor is best known for his role as Jack Donaghy on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock and for his portrayal of Donald Trump on the sketch show Saturday Night Live.

Such incidents on film sets are extremely rare.

Real firearms are often used in filming, and are loaded with blanks – cartridges that create a flash and a bang without discharging a projectile.

In 1993, Brandon Lee – the 28-year-old son of the late martial arts star Bruce Lee – died on set after being accidentally shot with a prop gun while filming a death scene for the film The Crow. The gun mistakenly had a dummy round loaded in it.

- Advertisement -

Discover

Sponsor

Latest

USA 1-1 Netherlands: Lindsey Horan rescues the United States from defeat at Women’s World Cupon July 27, 2023 at 6:17 am

Captain Lindsey Horan comes to the rescue of defending champions the United States after the Netherlands threaten an upset at the Women's World Cup.Captain...

Bayeux Tapestry: Wisbech teacher fretting over famous embroidery errorson February 16, 2022 at 3:41 pm

A woman says copying mistakes in the tapestry is "doing my head in" as she recreates a full replica.

BBC seeks swift response to bus anti-Semitism story complaintson January 8, 2022 at 7:38 pm

The Board of Deputies of British Jews has criticised how an alleged anti-Semitic incident was reported.Image source, PA MediaComplaints about how the BBC reported...

Peru protests: Machu Picchu closed indefinitely and tourists strandedon January 21, 2023 at 7:44 pm

Hundreds of visitors are stranded at the popular Incan citadel as violent protests rock the country.Image source, Getty ImagesBy Kathryn ArmstrongBBC NewsPeru has closed...

Manchester Arena Inquiry: Bomber ‘should have been identified as a threat’on June 17, 2021 at 3:36 pm

There were missed opportunities to prevent or minimise the "devastating impact", an inquiry finds.image copyrightFamily handoutsManchester Arena suicide bomber Salman Abedi should have been...