Alec Baldwin Fired Prop Gun That Killed Halyna Hutchins, Injured Director

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Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on a set in New Mexico on Thursday, accidentally killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.

The incident occurred on the set of “Rust,” an independent feature that was filming at the Bonanza Creek Ranch, a popular production location south of Santa Fe.

Hutchins, 42, was transported by helicopter to University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque, where she died. Souza, 48, was taken by ambulance to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe, where he was receiving emergency care.

The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s office said in a statement that Hutchins and Souza “were shot when a prop firearm was discharged by Alec Baldwin, 68, producer and actor.”

No one was arrested in the incident, and no charges have been filed, the office said. Detectives were interviewing witnesses, and the incident remains under an “open and active” investigation, according to the Sheriff’s office.

https://variety.com/2021/film/news/alec-baldwin-rust-incident-santa-fe-1235094931/
 
Sheriff's office: Alec Baldwin's 'prop firearm' kills one, injures another

Actor Alec Baldwin discharged a "prop firearm" that killed a cinematographer and injured the director of the movie Rust, being filmed on a set south of Santa Fe, a county sheriff's office spokesman said late Thursday.

Halyna Hutchins, 42 and the director of photography for the movie, died at University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque. The film's director, Joel Souza, was hospitalized in Santa Fe, Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office spokesman Juan Ríos said.

A source close to the investigation said Baldwin, 63, was questioned by investigators late Thursday and was seen by a New Mexican reporter and photographer in tears.

https://www.santafenewmexican.com/n...cle_9612afc6-32c5-11ec-9e2e-e3cc47b69ce5.html
 
Killed by Alec Baldwin

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ziggy said:
Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on a set in New Mexico on Thursday, accidentally killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.

The incident occurred on the set of “Rust,” an independent feature that was filming at the Bonanza Creek Ranch, a popular production location south of Santa Fe.

Hutchins, 42, was transported by helicopter to University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque, where she died. Souza, 48, was taken by ambulance to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe, where he was receiving emergency care.

The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s office said in a statement that Hutchins and Souza “were shot when a prop firearm was discharged by Alec Baldwin, 68, producer and actor.”

No one was arrested in the incident, and no charges have been filed, the office said. Detectives were interviewing witnesses, and the incident remains under an “open and active” investigation, according to the Sheriff’s office.

https://variety.com/2021/film/news/alec-baldwin-rust-incident-santa-fe-1235094931/
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I forget what they call the person in charge of prop guns, but whatever the title, he is in a lot of trouble right now.
 
Indie films are often in need of that perceived "edginess" to draw an audience. I guess this counts.

I don't like Alec Baldwin, but, I have always enjoyed his acting. If he discharged a prop gun as directed by the technicians and director, then, he did his job.
 
Guns firing blanks have been blamed for deaths in past movie productions. Online Hollywood news site Deadline reported, "Actor Jon-Erik Hexum was killed Oct. 18, 1984, on the set of the TV series Cover Up when he accidentally shot himself in the head with a gun loaded with blanks. And in 1993, Brandon Lee, the son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, died after he was shot in the head by a gun firing blanks on the set of The Crow. Both incidents were determined to have been accidents."

https://www.santafenewmexican.com/n...cle_9612afc6-32c5-11ec-9e2e-e3cc47b69ce5.html
 
BidenPresident said:
Guns firing blanks have been blamed for deaths in past movie productions. Online Hollywood news site Deadline reported, "Actor Jon-Erik Hexum was killed Oct. 18, 1984, on the set of the TV series Cover Up when he accidentally shot himself in the head with a gun loaded with blanks. And in 1993, Brandon Lee, the son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, died after he was shot in the head by a gun firing blanks on the set of The Crow. Both incidents were determined to have been accidents."

https://www.santafenewmexican.com/n...cle_9612afc6-32c5-11ec-9e2e-e3cc47b69ce5.html
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Its your turn
 
Gin Saké said:
Indie films are often in need of that perceived "edginess" to draw an audience. I guess this counts.

I don't like Alec Baldwin, but, I have always enjoyed his acting. If he discharged a prop gun as directed by the technicians and director, then, he did his job.
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Indie films by definition lack the full studio behind them. This often makes them more creative, but it also means that many of the professionals that would be on contract with the studios would be hired for a shorter time, and might not be as professional. When it comes to safety, this can be a disaster.

There is a person who should be in charge of weapon props. He should have his eyes on the props at all times, and should be making sure that actors can do no damage with them. That person is in a lot of trouble right now. It is possible that Baldwin is also in trouble, but far less probable.

Now for some conjecture, based on incomplete information:
Hutchins and Souza as directors would have been behind the camera, with Hutchins(director of cinematographer) closer to the camera. It appears to be a scene where Baldwin cocks the gun and points it at the camera. It was a rehearsal, but would have been filmed to find out how it worked on camera. The gun was loaded with at least one bullet.

Guns are extremely dangerous on film sets. That is why there is always a person in charge of making sure that a gun with live ammo is never pointed at anyone. That person is certainly not Baldwin. Baldwin, as an experienced actor, would have known that a gun with live ammo is never pointed at anyone, so would have been shocked that the gun had live ammo. Whoever failed to make absolutely sure the gun was not loaded is in a lot of trouble.

In any other situation, I would be blaming the guy with the gun. The possessor of the gun has to always consider the gun as loaded, even when he absolutely knows the gun is not loaded. There are no exceptions... EXCEPT THE ONE EXCEPTION. Making movies often require guns to be pointed at people. That is why gun safety is so important on movie sets. They are literally breaking the cardinal rule of gun safety.

Whatever your feelings about Baldwin are, it does not look like he did anything wrong. The known facts could change, but they probably won't. I would say the same if it were Baldwin, or his younger, less talented, conservative brother.
 
BidenPresident said:
Guns firing blanks have been blamed for deaths in past movie productions. Online Hollywood news site Deadline reported, "Actor Jon-Erik Hexum was killed Oct. 18, 1984, on the set of the TV series Cover Up when he accidentally shot himself in the head with a gun loaded with blanks. And in 1993, Brandon Lee, the son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, died after he was shot in the head by a gun firing blanks on the set of The Crow. Both incidents were determined to have been accidents."

https://www.santafenewmexican.com/n...cle_9612afc6-32c5-11ec-9e2e-e3cc47b69ce5.html
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They have gotten much more serious about gun prop handling since then... But it is not California, so the laws in New Mexico might not have caught up. The props guy would have gone to prison for the Brandon Lee incident had happened a few years later.
 
Walt said:
They have gotten much more serious about gun prop handling since then... But it is not California, so the laws in New Mexico might not have caught up. The props guy would have gone to prison for the Brandon Lee incident had happened a few years later.
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Didn't Lee shoot himself? Why would anyone be charged, then or now?
 
RB 60 said:
Didn't Lee shoot himself? Why would anyone be charged, then or now?
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The actor Massee pulled the trigger, but Massee would not be guilty of anything. The crew had messed up and combined an improperly made dummy round with a blank round. The dummy round pushed the bullet into the barrel, and then the blank round fired the bullet. Not only was the dummy round improperly made, but there was no check of the gun barrel before the blank round was used.

Gun laws have been tightened in California. Exceptions were made for studios, but only if they were willing to take criminal liability. Failing to follow proper safety is a crime, and would be prosecuted as such. Failing to follow proper safety causes a death is prosecuted now as manslaughter.

Again, not the actor's fault. Neither Lee nor Massee have any blame in this. It is the prop people who are supposed to make sure the guns are safe that are to blame.
 
Picture the drunken driver who runs over a child. Did he mean to kill the child? No. On one level, it was an accident, but an accident caused by him not caring enough to drive sober. Or picture the car robber fleeing the police who runs over a child. Again it is an accident, caused by him committing first the crime of stealing the car, and next the crime of fleeing the police. Or even picture the mechanic who certifies a plane engine is fine, when he did not even bother to inspect it. He certainly did not want anyone to die, but was not willing to take the time to bother to do his legal duty to prevent people from dying.

An accident caused by someone not bothering to do the legally required care is called manslaughter. It is not full on murder, but can get you thrown in prison for decades.
 
Walt said:
The actor Massee pulled the trigger, but Massee would not be guilty of anything. The crew had messed up and combined an improperly made dummy round with a blank round. The dummy round pushed the bullet into the barrel, and then the blank round fired the bullet. Not only was the dummy round improperly made, but there was no check of the gun barrel before the blank round was used.

Gun laws have been tightened in California. Exceptions were made for studios, but only if they were willing to take criminal liability. Failing to follow proper safety is a crime, and would be prosecuted as such. Failing to follow proper safety causes a death is prosecuted now as manslaughter.

Again, not the actor's fault. Neither Lee nor Massee have any blame in this. It is the prop people who are supposed to make sure the guns are safe that are to blame.
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Anyone who fires a gun with a blank at another's head is an idiot. Something (usually a paper wad with glue or some sort of sealant) seals the end of the cartridge to keep the powder in and dry. As with any loaded cartridge, there is a great amount of pressure leaving the barrel and the barrel should never be pointed at anyone. Even a cartridge having just a primer and no powder is enough to fire a wax bullet with enough velocity to hurt badly.
 
RB 60 said:
Anyone who fires a gun with a blank at another's head is an idiot.
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It was at his stomach, and it was at 12 to 15 feet away. It should not have been dangerous. The issue here was that there was a bullet in the barrel, making the blank round not a blank round. A blank round alone would not have been dangerous.

And more importantly, Massee was not responsible for making sure that it was not dangerous. It was the prop crew that is responsible for making sure that it can be done safely. Massee did as instructed, and so shared none of the blame. This is pretty much the only situation imaginable where the shooter does not share any of the blame, but there we are.
 
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