Alec Baldwin fired shot that killed one, wounded another on film set

spaminator

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'Rust' set manager convicted in death of cinematographer
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Andrew Hay
Published Mar 31, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 2 minute read

Dave Halls, first assistant director on Western “Rust, was sentenced on Friday for the on-set shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, marking the first conviction for the 2021 fatality which shook Hollywood.


A New Mexico judge approved the set manager’s plea deal with prosecutors for a charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon for his role in Hutchins’ death on a movie set outside Santa Fe.


The conviction marked a step forward for state prosecutors plagued by legal setbacks since they filed charges in January against actor Alec Baldwin and others who handled the gun that killed Hutchins.

District court judge Mary Marlowe Sommer sentenced Halls to a six-month suspended sentence with unsupervised probation, a $500 fine, 24 hours of community service and a firearms safety class.

Hutchins was killed when Baldwin fired a live round from a revolver while rehearsing. As first assistant director, prosecutors said Halls was responsible for set safety on “Rust.”


“Halls did not check every round in the gun to confirm it was a dummy round and not a live round,” state prosecutor Kari Morrissey told the virtual plea hearing.

Halls, an industry-veteran with over 80 credits including “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Crow: Salvation,” was the only member of the “Rust” cast and crew to enter a plea bargain. Prosecutors said he approached them and was cooperative.

It remains unclear whether he will testify on behalf of the prosecution in a May preliminary hearing where Marlowe Sommer will decide whether there is probable cause to try Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed.

Baldwin pleaded not guilty to a criminal charge of involuntary manslaughter. The actor said he relied on weapons experts – Gutierrez-Reed and Halls – to ensure the firearm was safe to use.


Gutierrez-Reed, who was responsible for firearm safety and training, will also plead not guilty, according to her lawyer.

‘COLD GUN’

The case is remarkable in that there is little or no precedent for a Hollywood actor to face criminal charges for an on-set shooting.

Investigators have been unable to discover who brought live rounds on set, an act strictly forbidden by the industry.

“Never in anyone’s wildest dreams never, never in anyone’s imagination, did anyone think that there could possibly be a live round in the firearm,” said Lisa Torraco, Halls’ lawyer.

She said Halls was suffering from “survivor’s guilt” after he only checked the gun for blank rounds, which make an explosive sound and muzzle flash, and dummy rounds – the two types of rounds used on film sets.


The chain of events leading to Hutchins’ death remains unclear, though Gutierrez-Reed has said she loaded the live round that killed Hutchins, believing it to be a dummy.

A 2021 police report said Halls announced the weapon was a “cold gun” – an industry term meaning it did not contain rounds with an explosive charge – before handing it to Baldwin.

Halls testified to New Mexico’s worker safety bureau in December that it was Gutierrez-Reed who said “cold gun” and gave the revolver to Baldwin. The armorer told the bureau she never used that term and it was Halls who passed the weapon to Baldwin.

Under the charge of involuntary manslaughter, prosecutors must prove Gutierrez-Reed and Baldwin were not only negligent in their handling of the firearm but showed intentional disregard for Hutchins’ safety.
 

harrylee

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"District court judge Mary Marlowe Sommer sentenced Halls to a six-month suspended sentence with unsupervised probation, a $500 fine, 24 hours of community service and a firearms safety class."

Sad
 
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Taxslave2

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What sentence would you suggest?
None. Other than the person responsible for firearms, no one else should have been charged. It would be difficult for anyone else to make sure there were no live rounds, short of emptying the gun out and inspecting each round. And even then, that person would have to be experienced enough with firearms to know the difference. That is why we hire experts. Charging anyone else makes it look like a cash grab.
Using an automotive analogy, if you take your car in for new tires, and 5 miles down the road a wheel comes off and kills someone, it is not the driver's fault. Now, if the driver went 200 miles without getting the wheel nuts checked, there could be some culpability on the driver since it is recommended to have wheel nuts retourqued after 100 km.
 

Tecumsehsbones

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None. Other than the person responsible for firearms, no one else should have been charged. It would be difficult for anyone else to make sure there were no live rounds, short of emptying the gun out and inspecting each round. And even then, that person would have to be experienced enough with firearms to know the difference. That is why we hire experts. Charging anyone else makes it look like a cash grab.
Using an automotive analogy, if you take your car in for new tires, and 5 miles down the road a wheel comes off and kills someone, it is not the driver's fault. Now, if the driver went 200 miles without getting the wheel nuts checked, there could be some culpability on the driver since it is recommended to have wheel nuts retourqued after 100 km.
I'd agree. The more people involved in the chain, the greater the chance of fuck-ups.

A movie set should have exactly one armourer, and nobody but the armourer and the actor to be doing the "shooting" should be allowed to handle any gun. The armourer gives it to the actor, the actor uses it, and gives it to the armourer. Who then unloads it and locks it up. The armourer should be professionally qualified, criminally liable, and carry a fuck-tonne of insurance.
 
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spaminator

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Alec Baldwin calls for dismissal of 'misguided' lawsuit
Actor is facing involuntary manslaughter charges over death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins

Author of the article:Bang Showbiz
Bang Showbiz
Published Apr 17, 2023 • 2 minute read

Alec Baldwin wants a “misguided” lawsuit filed against him by Halyna Hutchins’ parents and sister to be dismissed.


The 64-year-old actor – who is facing involuntary manslaughter charges over the death of the cinematographer after she was fatally shot on the set of Rust in October 2021 – argued Olga Solovey, Anatolii Androsovych, and Svetlana Zemko only filed their suit to “obtain compensation” despite being “physically, financially and emotionally” estranged from their late relative “for years” before her death.


“The loss of a daughter and sister is undoubtedly painful in any circumstance,” court documents obtained by NBC News stated.

“Yet Plaintiffs – who had been distanced from Halyna physically, financially, and emotionally for years before her death – have no viable cause of action against Defendants. This action is especially misguided.”


Baldwin, who has denied any wrongdoing, previously agreed to a settlement with Halyna’s widower, Matthew Hutchins, their son and estate, and said he believed resolving that court case “should have been the end of the matter.”

The documents added: “But it is not. The Court should dismiss Plaintiffs’ Complaint with prejudice.”

The lawsuit was filed in February and as well as Baldwin, Rust armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, assistant director David Halls, and Rust Movie Productions, LLC. are listed as defendants.

Gloria Allred, who is representing the family in the suit, hit out at the 30 Rock star and said he is “once again attempting to avoid responsibility.”

The lawyer added in a statement: “It is abundantly clear under New Mexico law , which will be applied in the California court that he is responsible for all of the harm he did to the entirety of Halyna Hutchins’ family.

“We are here to make sure that he is held accountable for his actions.”

Like Baldwin, Gutierrez-Reed has also been charged with involuntary manslaughter, while Halls agreed to plead no contest to negligent use of a deadly weapon.

The next hearing in the case is scheduled for June 9.
 

spaminator

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Judge seals Alec Baldwin settlement terms in fatal 'Rust' shooting
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Morgan Lee
Published Apr 17, 2023 • 2 minute read

SANTA FE, N.M. — The judge hearing the wrongful death lawsuit against actor Alec Baldwin and an array of producers and crew linked to a fatal film set shooting agreed Monday to seal from public view the terms of a proposed settlement agreement in the case that benefits the son of slain cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.


The New Mexico judge said the right to privacy for Hutchins’ 10-year-old son overrides obligations for public disclosure and ordered that settlement documents and approval hearings be sealed in the civil lawsuit that argues that Baldwin and other film crewmembers ignored industry gun safety standards on the set of the Western film “Rust” ahead of the 2021 shooting.


“What is driving my decision is really the interests of the minor child. And that is one of the very most powerful reasons to seal a matter,” District Court Judge Bryan Biedscheid said in a videoconference hearing of the Santa Fe-based court.

Baldwin, an actor and coproducer of the film, was pointing a pistol at Hutchins during a rehearsal on the film’s set outside Santa Fe when the gun went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza. He and other defendants have disputed the accusations that they were lax with safety standards.


Widower Matthew Hutchins filed the wrongful death suit last year against “Rust” producers, including Baldwin, as well as members of the film crew with safety responsibilities and an ammunition supplier. Son Andros Hutchins, who was 9 at the time of the shooting, is also named as a plaintiff.

Attorneys for they boy said Monday that secrecy provisions are paramount to protect his privacy and finalize a settlement with “Rust” producers.

Knowledge of the settlement terms also will be off limits to people beyond “Rust” producers who were named as defendants in the lawsuit, including weapons supervisor Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. Several of those defendants objected to being left in the dark on details of the settlement, though approval of the agreement should end their involvement in the wrongful death suit.

Gutierrez-Reed and Baldwin are also confronting criminal charges of involuntary manslaughter in separate court proceedings and have pleaded not guilty, with two weeks of evidentiary hearings scheduled in May.

Matthew Hutchins outlined a proposed settlement agreement in October that opened the way for filming of “Rust” to resume in Montana. He’ll serve as a producer.
 

Taxslave2

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The only person that should have been charged and responsible for a lawsuits is the armourer. She was hired to prevent things like this from happening, and failed miserably at her job.
 

spaminator

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'Rust' movie reboots after Alec Baldwin shooting
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Morgan Lee
Published Apr 19, 2023 • 2 minute read

SANTA FE, N.M. — Filming on the Western movie “Rust” could resume this week in Montana, the production company said Wednesday, in the aftermath of the fatal shooting of a cinematographer during a rehearsal with actor Alec Baldwin on the original production in New Mexico.


Baldwin will continue his involvement as an actor and coproducer, and Rust Move Productions attorney Melina Spadone said via a representative that filming will restart Thursday at the Yellowstone Film Ranch.


The production company finalized a settlement last month with New Mexico workplace safety regulars over “serious” violations, agreeing to a $100,000 fine to resolve a scathing safety review that detailed unheeded complaints and misfires on set before cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed in October 2021.

Plans to resume filming were outlined last year by widower Matthew Hutchins in a proposed settlement to a wrongful death lawsuit that would make him an executive producer on a rebooted “Rust.”


Prosecutors in Santa Fe are pressing forward with involuntary manslaughter charges against actor Baldwin and a weapons supervisor Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed have pleaded not guilty.

Baldwin was pointing a pistol at Hutchins during a rehearsal when the gun when off, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.

Baldwin has said the gun went off accidentally and that he did not pull the trigger. An FBI forensic report found the weapon could not have fired unless the trigger was pulled.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham this month signed a new $360,000 allowance for prosecution of the case. Evidentiary hearings are scheduled in early May in state District Court to decide whether to proceed toward trial. Baldwin has indicated that he won’t attend those hearings.


Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies says her office is pursuing justice in the death of Hutchins and wants to show that no one is above the law when it comes to firearms and public safety. She says the Ukrainian-born cinematographer’s death was tragic and preventable.

“Rust” safety coordinator and assistant director David Halls pleaded no contest in March to a conviction for unsafe handling of a firearm and a suspended sentence of six months of probation.

Souza, the director, has said he’ll return to the “Rust” production to honor the legacy of Halyna Hutchins.

Parts of a documentary about Hutchins’ life will be filmed simultaneously with “Rust.”
 

spaminator

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Alec Baldwin resumes filming 'Rust' in Montana
Author of the article:Bang Showbiz
Bang Showbiz
Published Apr 23, 2023 • 1 minute read

Alec Baldwin has resumed filming ‘Rust’.


Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed on the set of the movie in October 2021, but Alec resumed filming at the Yellowstone Film Ranch in Paradise Valley, Montana, on Friday.


The Hollywood star and his wife Hilaria Baldwin were seen having a sushi dinner together near the Montana set on Thursday.

An eyewitness told PEOPLE: “They were in a good mood. They seem in good spirits.”

Alec and other ‘Rust’ producers settled a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Matthew Hutchins, Halyna’s widower, in October.

Hutchins has also been brought on board as an executive producer, as part of the settlement agreement.

Earlier this month, meanwhile, prosecutors warned that dropping involuntary manslaughter charges against the actor “does not absolve [him] of criminal culpability”.


Special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis warned that “charges may be refiled” after further investigations take place.

The pair said in a statement: “Over the last few days and in preparation for the May 3, 2023, preliminary hearing, new facts were revealed that demand further investigation and forensic analysis in the case against Alexander ‘Alec’ Rae Baldwin, III.

“Consequently, we cannot proceed under the current time constraints and on the facts and evidence turned over by law enforcement in its existing form. We therefore will be dismissing the involuntary manslaughter charges against Mr. Baldwin to conduct further investigation.

“This decision does not absolve Mr. Baldwin of criminal culpability and charges may be refiled. Our follow-up investigation will remain active and ongoing.”

Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed has also been charged with involuntary manslaughter over the tragedy, and the pair confirmed that the case against her is still going ahead.

The prosecutors said: “Charges against Hannah Gutierrez-Reed remain unchanged.”
 

harrylee

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Alec Baldwin resumes filming 'Rust' in Montana
Author of the article:Bang Showbiz
Bang Showbiz
Published Apr 23, 2023 • 1 minute read

Alec Baldwin has resumed filming ‘Rust’.


Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed on the set of the movie in October 2021, but Alec resumed filming at the Yellowstone Film Ranch in Paradise Valley, Montana, on Friday.


The Hollywood star and his wife Hilaria Baldwin were seen having a sushi dinner together near the Montana set on Thursday.

An eyewitness told PEOPLE: “They were in a good mood. They seem in good spirits.”

Alec and other ‘Rust’ producers settled a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Matthew Hutchins, Halyna’s widower, in October.

Hutchins has also been brought on board as an executive producer, as part of the settlement agreement.

Earlier this month, meanwhile, prosecutors warned that dropping involuntary manslaughter charges against the actor “does not absolve [him] of criminal culpability”.


Special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis warned that “charges may be refiled” after further investigations take place.

The pair said in a statement: “Over the last few days and in preparation for the May 3, 2023, preliminary hearing, new facts were revealed that demand further investigation and forensic analysis in the case against Alexander ‘Alec’ Rae Baldwin, III.

“Consequently, we cannot proceed under the current time constraints and on the facts and evidence turned over by law enforcement in its existing form. We therefore will be dismissing the involuntary manslaughter charges against Mr. Baldwin to conduct further investigation.

“This decision does not absolve Mr. Baldwin of criminal culpability and charges may be refiled. Our follow-up investigation will remain active and ongoing.”

Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed has also been charged with involuntary manslaughter over the tragedy, and the pair confirmed that the case against her is still going ahead.

The prosecutors said: “Charges against Hannah Gutierrez-Reed remain unchanged.”
Do they actually think anyone is going to watch this thing now?
 

spaminator

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'Rust' movie medic gets $1.15 million partial settlement
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Published May 09, 2023 • 1 minute read

SANTA FE, N.M. — A New Mexico judge has approved a $1.15 million settlement between a medic who worked on the “Rust” film set and one of several defendants she accused of negligence in the fatal 2021 shooting of a cinematographer by Alec Baldwin during a rehearsal.


Court records show the partial settlement between Cherlyn Schaefer and prop master Sarah Zachry was approved during a hearing Monday. Schaefer told the judge there’s not a day that goes by when she doesn’t think about what happened, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.


In her civil complaint, Schaefer said she fought desperately in a failed attempt to save the life of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. She said the shock, trauma and emotional distress that followed has made it impossible for her to continue working in her field.

Prosecutors dismissed an involuntary manslaughter charge against the actor and producer last month, citing new evidence and the need for more time to investigate.

State District Judge Kathleen McGarry Ellenwood had entered a default judgment against Zachry in November after the film worker failed to file responses within court deadlines.


Zachry’s current attorney, Nathan Winger, told the court Monday that her previous attorney, William Waggoner, let deadlines pass without her permission, and she intends to seek damages from him to fund her settlement with Schaefer. Waggoner disputes the claim.

Justin Rodriguez, one of several attorneys representing Schaefer, said the settlement “is a small portion of what we expect to receive in the future.” The remaining defendants include Rust Movie Productions, weapons supervisor Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and assistant director David Halls, but not Baldwin.

Schaefer’s complaint claims Zachry and Gutierrez-Reed failed to ensure there were no live rounds in Baldwin’s weapon. An involuntary manslaughter charge remains pending against Gutierrez-Reed, but her attorneys have said they fully expect her to be exonerated.
 

spaminator

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Hammer of gun in 'Rust' shooting possibly modified: Prosecutors
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Andrew Hay
Published May 18, 2023 • 1 minute read

The hammer of the gun actor Alec Baldwin was holding when it fired a live round killing “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins may have been intentionally modified, New Mexico special prosecutors said in a court filing this week.


The comments came a month after prosecutors dropped a criminal charge against Baldwin over Hutchins’ death in 2021, citing new evidence. A source close to the case at the time said the evidence concerned modifications to the reproduction long Colt .45 revolver Baldwin was using.


“The modification appears to be related to the notches on the internal portion of the hammer for full cock, half cock and quarter cock positions,” prosecutors said in documents filed on Wednesday asking a judge to authorize transfer of the revolver, ammunition and a jacket belonging to the film’s weapons handler for forensic testing.

“It appears that these notches may have been partially removed or ground down so that they are less prominent.”


An FBI test of the gun found it would not fire unless the trigger was pulled. Baldwin said he never pulled the trigger.

Prosecutors said additional testing was required to see if the hammer was modified, the source of the modification and what impact it might have on the firearm’s performance.

Ammunition found on the set was requested for testing for manner of assembly and origin of manufacture, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors have yet to reveal how live rounds got onto the set of the low-budget movie production.

“Rust” weapons handler Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is the only person still facing charges over Hutchins’ death.

Prosecutors also requested Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office transfer Gutierrez-Reed’s jacket to them for gunpowder-residue testing

Her attorneys on Thursday filed a motion to dismiss the criminal case against her on grounds of lack of prosecutorial authority and violations in Gutierrez-Reed’s due process rights.

Prosecutors last month said they would continue to charge Gutierrez-Reed with involuntary manslaughter. A preliminary hearing on the charge is set for Aug. 9-16.