New details emerge in Baldwin shooting tragedy
New details surrounding the fatal accident on the set of Rust have been released by officials, including the fact that star actor Alec Baldwin fired a live lead bullet.
The incident on-set claimed the life of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and resulted in the injury of filmmaker Joel Souza.
The new information was revealed during a news conference held by Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza and district attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies, and via an affidavit filed by the sheriff’s department.
Sheriff Mendoza said the lead projectile they believe killed Hutchins was recovered from Mr Souza’s shoulder, and belonged to a .45 calibre Pietta Long Colt revolver.
“We believe that we have, in our possession, the firearm that was fired by Mr Baldwin. This is the firearm we believe discharged the bullet,” Sheriff Mendoza said.
“We would consider it a live round - a bullet, live - because it did fire from the weapon and obviously caused the death of Ms Hutchins and injured Mr Souza.”
Flowers placed at the entrance of the “Rust” film set. Image: Getty Images
Sheriff Mendoza also said that about 600 items of evidence had been recovered from the set, including three firearms and approximately 500 rounds of ammunition that included blanks and dummy rounds.
Two of the guns were non-functional, while the third was the Colt revolver used by Mr Baldwin.
It was also revealed that the gun used on set was not thoroughly checked before being given to Mr Baldwin.
The actor was told the gun was “cold”, meaning it was safe to use and contained no ammunition, and was pointing the gun at the camera when it discharged, hitting Ms Hutchins in the torso.
According to the affidavit, the film’s armourer, Hannah Gutierrez, told investigators she had checked guns before the incident but found no “hot rounds” - referring to live ammunition.
The affidavit also showed that Ms Gutierrez said ammunition wasn’t secured on set during a lunch break before the incident, but that firearms were kept in a safe during the break and there was no live ammunition ever kept on a movie set.
She said “only a few people” had access to the safe and knew the combination to open it.
Dave Halls, the assistant director, also told investigators he “should have checked all” the rounds in the gun before handing it to Mr Baldwin but hadn’t, according to the affidavit.
According to the BBC, Mr Halls had previously been fired from a production over gun safety violations which resulted in the minor injury of a crew member.
However, Ms Carmack-Altwies said “no one has been ruled out at this point” in regards to potential criminal charges.
Locals held a vigil for Ms Hutchins in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Image: Getty Images
“It is a very complex case,” she said.
“It will take many more facts, corroborated facts, before we get to that criminal negligence standard.”
When asked about the use of real weapons on film sets, Sheriff Mendoza said: “I think the industry has had a record recently of being safe.
“I think there was some complacency on this set,” he continued.
“And I think there are some safety issues that need to be addressed by the industry and possibly by the state of New Mexico.”
Investigators said they were also following up on reports of target practice taking place on or near the set.
“Any time a firearm is around or about, safety is paramount,” Sheriff Mendoza said.
Camera operators had also walked off the set prior to the incident in protest against the working conditions.
“I think the facts are clear, the weapon was handed to Mr Baldwin. The weapon is functional and fired a live round, killing Ms Hutchins and injuring Mr Souza,” Sheriff Mendoza said.
The new information comes after a vigil was held for Ms Hutchins, acting as an outlet for frustration over the working conditions many crew members believe are related to her death.
Image: Getty Images