[Film] Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins killed when Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on a movie set

[jcdenton08]

Someone brought live ammo on to the set and someone loaded that into a gun which was fired by Baldwin. Surely the armourer responsible for loading the gun is accountable. What I've never understood is why Baldwin was charged. There have been thousands of films in which guns have been used. You wouldn't expect actors to be responsible for checking the 'prop' they've been handed isn't loaded with live ammo!

Especially when it wasn’t contested by either side that he was told “cold gun” (unloaded) before handling it

 

[drew]

A lot of the time it would be impossible for an actor to check a prop after they've picked it up, because picking it up and using it would often be in one edit.

Exactly. For example, you could do a test fire and the first round is a dummy but the second a live one!

 

[Triggaaar]

Exactly. For example, you could do a test fire and the first round is a dummy but the second a live one!

Or you could take the weapon apart, check it thoroughly, return it to where you're supposed to, and then when it comes time to use it someone else has tampered with it (or even swapped it).

They should have strict rules on what weapons be actually capable of firing, and who has access to the weapons at all times. But it's America, land of the idiot, so good luck with that.

 

[drew]

I read something this morning that said there was ambiguity over his role. If he was being charged as Producer of the film his accountability is considered high, if as an actor it's virtually non-existent. Turns out it was the latter, or his defence argued his role in this accident was the latter, but that ambiguity might explain why the charge was brought.

I could understand if as producer he was charged but there are seven producers and, as far as I'm aware, none of the others had been charged.

 

[jonny.rainbow]

Someone brought live ammo on to the set and someone loaded that into a gun which was fired by Baldwin. Surely the armourer responsible for loading the gun is accountable. What I've never understood is why Baldwin was charged. There have been thousands of films in which guns have been used. You wouldn't expect actors to be responsible for checking the 'prop' they've been handed isn't loaded with live ammo!

I read that the script for the scene they were rehearsing didn’t require him to fire a gun and he was improvising.

Whether or not that is true I have no idea but it could be grounds to suggest he caused the death through is actions if it is true.

 

[jcdenton08]

I can bring in a little personal knowledge and working experience on this as a stage manager, who has worked with weapons in theatre settings.

The designated responsible person (I would suggest in this case the professional armourer) would be responsible for creating and adhering to a “Weapon/Gun Plot”.

This is a document which states what weapons are on set, how and when they are to be handled, by whom, for how long, where they are being stored when not in use, the number of squibs/dummy rounds in stock and so on and so forth.

They should be completing and updating this log constantly, and all weapons should be under secure lock and key (ideally a weapons safe) when not in use. They should be signed in/out and checked by the designated responsible person before being handed over to the talent. The talent should be given weapons training where needed prior to ever handling a weapon, and this should then be risk assessed and signed off on by the responsible person.

It sounds like a very amateur set up and a tragedy waiting to happen. This is why a little “bureaucracy” isn’t always a bad thing. It can save lives.

 

[Albion my Albion]

Wonder if this affects Gutierrez-Reed's conviction which isn't talked about.

Prosecutors did get one conviction for Hutchins’ death: Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the film’s armorer, was sentenced to 18 months in prison on an involuntary manslaughter conviction.

She (Hannah Gutierrez-Reed) is appealing, and her attorney Jason Bowles said he would file a motion to dismiss his client’s case on the same basis as Baldwin’s.

 

[Albion my Albion]

I could understand if as producer he was charged but there are seven producers and, as far as I'm aware, none of the others had been charged.

The judge dealt a serious blow to the prosecution’s case when on the eve of the trial on Monday when she ruled that Baldwin’s role as a producer on the film was not relevant and had to be left out.

 

[Albion my Albion]

What to know about the prison sentence for a movie armorer in a fatal shooting by Alec Baldwin

The movie weapons armorer received the maximum sentence of 18 months in jail for involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by Alec Baldwin on set.

apnews.com

BY MORGAN LEE
Updated 12:09 AM CDT, April 16, 2024

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A movie weapons armorer received the maximum sentence of 18 months in jail for involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by Alec Baldwin on a Western movie set, as authorities now turn their focus on prosecution of Baldwin himself.

A New Mexico judge on Monday found that Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s recklessness amounted to a serious violent offense, while noting few indications of genuine remorse from the defendant since her conviction in March. Prosecutors blame Gutierrez-Reed for unwittingly bringing live ammunition onto the set of “Rust,” where it was expressly prohibited, and for failing to follow basic gun-safety protocols .

Attention now turns to Baldwin’s upcoming trial on a charge of involuntary manslaughter in the October 2021 death of Halyna Hutchins at a movie ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe.

Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer of the film, was pointing a gun at Hutchins during a rehearsal when the gun went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin has pleaded not guilty and says he pulled back the hammer — but not the trigger — and the gun fired.


Here are some things to know as the “Rust” case against Baldwin nears:

Prosecutors on Monday described a “cascade of safety violations” on the movie set that only start with Gutierrez-Reed.

At sentencing, Gutierrez-Reed said she had tried to do her best on the set despite not having “proper time, resources and staffing,” and that she was not the monster that people have made her out to be.

But Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer said the maximum sentence was appropriate given Gutierrez-Reed’s recklessness. She said remorse was lacking and rejected a request by defense attorneys for leniency and a conditional discharge that would have avoided further jail time.

The judge ticked through a checklist of safety failures by Gutierrez-Reed, pointedly answering her own questions.

“Did she have enough time to load the weapon safely? Plenty,” the judge said. “Did you load the weapon? Yes — with dummies and a live round. Did she check what she was loading? No.”

Hutchins, who was 42 when she died, grew up on a remote Soviet military base and worked on documentary films in Eastern Europe before studying film in Los Angeles and embarking on a promising movie-making career.

At the sentencing hearing, friends and family members described Hutchins as courageous, tenacious and compassionate.

Courtroom testimonials also included calls for justice and a punishment that would instill greater accountability for safety on film sets.

Ukrainian relatives of Hutchins are seeking damages in her death from Baldwin in connection with the shooting. Attorney Gloria Allred is representing Hutchins’ parents and sister and says that the family supports the criminal prosecution of Baldwin.

“No one has ever come to me to apologize,” Hutchins’ mother Olga Solovey said in a tearful video testimonial shown at the sentencing of Gutierrez-Reed.

The filming of “Rust” moved to Montana after Hutchins’ death under an agreement with her husband, Matthew Hutchins, that made him an executive producer.

Prosecutors dismissed an earlier involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin after being told the gun he was holding might have been modified before the shooting and malfunctioned.

A new analysis of the gun opened the way for prosecutors to reboot the case. A grand jury indicted Baldwin on the same charge in January. The indictment alleges Baldwin caused Hutchins’ death — either by negligence or “total disregard or indifference” for safety.

If he’s convicted, the charge carries a potential prison sentence of up to 18 months.

Defense attorneys for Baldwin are urging the judge to dismiss the grand jury indictment, accusing prosecutors of “unfairly stacking the deck” in grand jury proceedings that diverted attention away from exculpatory evidence and witnesses.

Special prosecutors deny those accusations and accuse Baldwin of “shameless” attempts to escape culpability, highlighting contradictions in Baldwin’s statements to law enforcement, workplace safety regulators and the public in a televised interview.

An FBI expert testified at Gutierrez-Reed’s trial that the revolver used by Baldwin was fully functional with safety features when it arrived at an FBI laboratory. The expert said he had to strike the fully cocked gun with a mallet and break it in order for it to fire without depressing the trigger.

Defense attorney Jason Bowles said Gutierrez-Reed will appeal the judge’s judgment and sentence against her.

Bowles said at sentencing that “there were multiple system failures by multiple people. Some of those people have come before the court. ... Some have yet to come before the court. At least one individual is going to be tried in July.”

Gutierrez-Reed was acquitted of an evidence tampering charge at trial, but still confronts another felony charge in separate proceedings on allegations she brought a gun into a bar in downtown Santa Fe.

At her sentencing, Gutierrez-Reed teared up as Hutchins’ agent, Craig Mizrahi, spoke about the cinematographer’s creativity and described her as a rising star in Hollywood.

But special prosecutor Kari Morrissey says she reviewed nearly 200 phone calls that Gutierrez-Reed had made from jail over the last month. She said she was hoping there would be a moment when the defendant would take responsibility for Hutchins’ death or express genuine remorse but “that moment has never come.”

 

[drew]

The judge dealt a serious blow to the prosecution’s case when on the eve of the trial on Monday when she ruled that Baldwin’s role as a producer on the film was not relevant and had to be left out.

Which effectively proves my point, ie if Baldwin being a produce was relevant, why did the prosecutors launch an action against the other producers?