The investigation into the accident involving Alec Baldwin is ongoing, but the movie star has broken his silence on the tragic matter. Baldwin shot and killed Halyna Hutchins during a prop gun mishap on the set of his new film Rust. Hutchins was the cinematographer. Director Joel Souza was also injured. Baldwin was given a “cold gun” by the assistant director who has no admitted he didn’t check if live rounds were loaded. He should have. Alec Baldwin should have checked as well. You never take someone else’s word regarding firearm safety. Live rounds were also found on-set as well, which shocked the film’s armorer. She doesn’t know how they got there. Regardless, there were a series of safety failures, but Mr. Baldwin was the one who pulled the trigger.
Baldwin, Souza, and Hutchins were practicing a stunt when the gun went off. We also know what Hutchins’ reported final words were after she was shot (via NY Post):
The haunting final words of the 42-year-old mom, who had been working as the director of photography on Baldwin’s upcoming Western flick, were reported by the Los Angeles Times based on interviews with 14 crew members, emails and text messages.
A few moments earlier, Baldwin had been preparing for a shootout scene inside a church by making sure the camera crew got its angles right for the cross draw with the .45-caliber Colt revolver, the newspaper reported.
“So, I guess I’m gonna take this out, pull it and go, ‘Bang!’” he said as he gripped the holstered handgun, which was supposed to be loaded with dummy rounds, according to the report.
[…]
The mortally wounded Hutchins stumbled backward and fell into the arms of the chief electrician on set as blood poured out of her chest. Meanwhile, director Joel Souza, who was reportedly struck by the same round, also dropped to the floor.
“What the f— was that? That burns!” Souza yelled, the paper reported.
Baldwin put the gun down on a pew and repeatedly said, “What the f— just happened?”
“Medic!” someone shouted amid the pandemonium as crew members rushed to the stricken Hutchins. One of them, a boom operator, looked into her eyes and said, “Oh, that was no good,” the LA Times said.
“No, that was no good. That was no good at all,” she replied.
Within a few hours, she was pronounced dead.
There’s that saying there are no gun accidents, just negligence. That seems to have been pervasive on the set of this new film. The shooting location was in New Mexico and local authorities are not treating this like an accident. It’s a full-blown criminal investigation. Charges could be filed. In the meantime, Baldwin has absconded to some bougie Vermont town where he finally addressed the media about the incident. It was on the side of the road (via Fox News):
Baldwin, 63, spoke to photographers in Vermont where he said he is cooperating with police and has been speaking to them every day. Baldwin maintained that he could not speak on the active investigation.
"It's an active investigation in terms of a woman died, she was my friend," Baldwin said.
"We were a very, very well-oiled crew shooting a film together, and then this horrible event happened," he added.
He also added that he and Hutchins were friends, and they went out to dinner before the accident. Frankly, he should have listened to his fake Spanish wife and kept his mouth shut.
Alec Baldwin on meeting with Halyna Hutchins’ husband and son:
— The Recount (@therecount) October 30, 2021
“I wouldn't know how to characterize it. They’re mortified ... There are incidental accidents on film sets from time to time, but nothing like this. This is a one-in-a-trillion episode.” pic.twitter.com/WIWF8RlGct
It is a curious thing to repeatedly insist that your lawyer has told you not to make any public statement as you give a public statement on your relationship with the victim, the dangers of guns on sites, the probability of the accident etc. https://t.co/zTCEPfXzfy
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) October 31, 2021
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