{"id":599145,"date":"2023-01-18T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-18T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.sellorbuyhomefast.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/18\/prosecutors-to-reveal-if-alec-baldwin-will-be-charged-in-rust-shooting-tomorrow\/"},"modified":"2023-01-18T09:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-01-18T15:00:00","slug":"prosecutors-to-reveal-if-alec-baldwin-will-be-charged-in-rust-shooting-tomorrow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/18\/prosecutors-to-reveal-if-alec-baldwin-will-be-charged-in-rust-shooting-tomorrow\/","title":{"rendered":"Prosecutors to reveal if Alec Baldwin will be charged in ‘Rust’ shooting tomorrow"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

New Mexico prosecutors will soon reveal whether they will bring criminal charges in the accidental deadly shooting by Alec Baldwin of a cinematographer on the set of \u201cRust,\u201d a low-budget western movie.<\/p>\n

First Judicial Dist. Atty. Mary Carmack-Altwies, along with special prosecutor Andrea Reeb, plan to issue a written statement Thursday morning, according to the district attorney\u2019s office. A spokesperson for Carmack-Altwies declined to say who, if anyone, will be charged. <\/p>\n

\u201cRegardless of the District Attorney\u2019s decision, the announcement will be a solemn occasion, made in a manner keeping with the office\u2019s commitment to upholding the integrity of the judicial process and respecting the victim\u2019s family,\u201d Heather Brewer, spokesperson for the office of the First Judicial District Attorney, said in a statement. <\/p>\n

On Oct. 21, 2021, Baldwin, the movie\u2019s star<\/a>, was rehearsing a scene in an old wooden church on a ranch near Santa Fe, N.M., with Halyna Hutchins, the film\u2019s cinematographer, and Joel Souza, the director. Hutchins, who was in charge of photography, wanted to line up a camera angle to capture Baldwin slowly pulling his prop gun \u2014 a replica of a vintage Colt .45 revolver \u2014 from his leather holster and aiming it at the camera.<\/p>\n

The gun went off, firing a bullet that pierced Hutchins\u2019 chest<\/a>, then lodged into Souza\u2019s shoulder. Hutchins died that afternoon; Souza recovered from his injury.<\/p>\n

Despite Hollywood film protocols that forbid live rounds on movie sets, Santa Fe County Sheriff\u2019s investigators found multiple actual bullets commingled with \u201cdummy rounds\u201d that movie producers use to simulate the look of real projectiles. <\/p>\n

Baldwin acknowledges pulling back the gun\u2019s hammer, but has said he did not pull the trigger.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone is responsible … but I know it\u2019s not me,\u201d Baldwin told ABC News\u2019 George Stephanopoulos<\/a> in a December 2021 TV interview.<\/a> <\/p>\n

Nonetheless, some legal experts said they expect that Baldwin will be among those charged. <\/p>\n

Santa Fe County Sheriff\u2019s deputies spent nearly a year compiling evidence, which they turned over to Mary Carmack-Altwies, district attorney for New Mexico\u2019s First Judicial District.<\/p>\n

In August, Carmack-Altwies disclosed she was considering charging up to four people<\/a>, including Baldwin. Sources have told The Times that prosecutors have concentrated on individuals who handled the gun that day<\/a>, the weapon\u2019s so-called \u201cchain of custody.\u201d <\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what to know about the case.<\/p>\n

What was the movie \u2018Rust\u2019 about?<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cRust\u201d starts as a story of a 13-year-old boy in 1880s Kansas who accidentally shot and killed a local rancher. The boy\u2019s grandfather \u2014 a grizzled outlaw named Harland Rust, played by Baldwin \u2014 helps him escape from jail and they set out on a dangerous journey through New Mexico while being pursued by a U.S. Marshal and bounty hunter. Souza wrote the screenplay with input from Baldwin, who received a \u201cStory By\u201d credit. <\/p>\n

The 64-year-old actor also was a producer on the low-budget film, which was filming on Bonanza Creek Ranch, a popular movie location<\/a> south of Santa Fe.<\/p>\n

Who was Halyna Hutchins?<\/b><\/p>\n

A native of Ukraine, Hutchins was the cinematographer,<\/a> also known as director of photography. She grew up on a Soviet military base in the Arctic Circle \u201csurrounded by reindeer and nuclear submarines,\u201d according to the bio on her personal website. She earned a degree from Kyiv National University in Ukraine and worked as an investigative journalist on British documentary productions before heading to Los Angeles. <\/p>\n

\n
\"Cinematographer <\/picture>\n
\n

Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died Oct. 21, 2021, after being accidentally shot by Alec Baldwin on the set of \u201cRust.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Photo from Hutchins family via Panish | Shea | Boyle | Ravipudi LLP)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The 42-year-old mother was succeeding<\/a> in a largely male-dominated business. She was a 2015 graduate of the American Film Institute Conservatory and was named one of American Cinematographer\u2019s Rising Stars of 2019. She worked on indie features like \u201cArchenemy,\u201d \u201cBlindfire\u201d and \u201cThe Mad Hatter\u201d as well as short films and commercials. \u201cRust\u201d was her first collaboration with Baldwin. She was survived by her husband, Matthew Hutchins; young son Andros; and family members in Ukraine.<\/p>\n

Her death became a rallying cry across the industry<\/a> for greater safety measures on film sets.<\/p>\n

Were there problems before the shooting?<\/b><\/p>\n

The Times previously detailed problems that began before filmmakers arrived at Bonanza Creek Ranch in early October 2021. <\/p>\n

Production managers struggled to recruit experienced crew members. Veteran prop master Neal W. Zoromski, who turned down a position on \u201cRust<\/a>\u201d in late September 2021, told The Times that he was troubled by the producers\u2019 refusal to hire a fully staffed props department, including an armorer to handle the guns and another person as props assistant. Instead, producers insisted that one person fill both jobs. Nearly a dozen experienced prop masters or armorers turned down a job on \u201cRust.<\/a>\u201d <\/p>\n

Most of the camera crew opted to quit the production the night before the shooting<\/a> over concerns of safety and a lack of lodging near Santa Fe. Days before the shooting, the camera crew leader sent a text message to a production manager to complain about accidental gun discharges. \u201cThis is super unsafe,\u201d Lane Luper wrote in an Oct. 16, 2021, text message to the unit production manager.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Armorer <\/picture>\n
\n

Armorer Thell Reed and daughter Hannah Gutierrez Reed, who was the armorer on \u201cRust,\u201d pose together on a film set. <\/p>\n

(Photo from Thell Reed)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Who was the film\u2019s armorer?<\/b><\/p>\n

Production managers hired Hannah Gutierrez Reed, then 24<\/a>, to oversee all weapons and projectiles and to also serve as props assistant. Gutierrez Reed, who lives in Arizona, is a daughter of famed Hollywood armorer Thell Reed. She had grown up visiting Hollywood sets and it was her second job as head armorer; her first was a Nicolas Cage movie, \u201cThe Old Way,\u201d which filmed in 2021. <\/p>\n

Gutierrez Reed complained about being stretched too thin on \u201cRust,\u201d according to emails with production managers. A week before the shooting, the film\u2019s line producer, Gabrielle Pickle, scolded Gutierrez Reed in an email<\/a>, saying complaints had been made about shotguns left unattended on set. Pickle also reprimanded Gutierrez Reed for allegedly not doing enough to support the film\u2019s prop master. <\/p>\n

According to production call sheets viewed by The Times, guns were needed on 10 of the 12 film days, with multiple guns used per day. <\/p>\n

Gutierrez Reed has acknowledged that she loaded the weapons that day. She handed the fired weapon to sheriff\u2019s deputies who arrived at Bonanza Creek Ranch after the shooting.<\/p>\n

She later told sheriff\u2019s detectives that although she checked Baldwin\u2019s gun that day before the unscheduled rehearsal, she \u201cdidn\u2019t really check it too much after lunch\u201d because the weapon had been locked in a safe during the crew\u2019s lunch break.<\/p>\n

Who was the assistant director?<\/b><\/p>\n

Veteran filmmaker David Halls was the first assistant director<\/a> on \u201cRust,\u201d which made him the on-set safety coordinator. <\/p>\n

He reportedly also handed the loaded weapon to Baldwin. According to a sheriff\u2019s deputy\u2019s affidavit for a search warrant, after the crew was returning from lunch that day, Halls \u201cgrabbed one of the three \u2018prop guns\u2019 that was set-up by the Amorer (Hannah Guttierez), which was on a cart\u201d parked outside the wooden church. Halls took the gun inside the church. As he \u201chanded the gun to the Actor Alec Baldwin, (Dave Halls) yelled \u2018Cold Gun,\u2019 indicating the prop-gun did not have any live rounds,\u201d according to the affidavit.<\/p>\n

\n
\"A <\/picture>\n
\n

Bonanza Creek Ranch, where Alec Baldwin fatally shot Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer of \u201cRust,\u201d in October 2021, is south of Santa Fe, New Mexico. <\/p>\n

(Sam Wasson\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Halls told deputies he was unaware the weapon contained live rounds. <\/p>\n

An industry veteran with credits dating to the early \u201990s, Halls has worked on films such as \u201cBalls of Fury,\u201d \u201cA Prairie Home Companion,\u201d \u201cBad Santa,\u201d \u201cThe Matrix Reloaded\u201d and \u201cFargo.\u201d In a grim coincidence, he worked as the first assistant director on the second unit of the 2000 movie \u201cThe Crow: Salvation,\u201d the sequel to \u201cThe Crow,\u201d the film on which Brandon Lee died<\/a> in an on-set gun accident in 1993.<\/p>\n

In a lawsuit filed late last year, Halls said that he was \u201cin no way actionably liable<\/a> for the events and occurrences\u201d on the set of \u201cRust\u201d that day, instead, he blamed the armorer, prop master and weapons and ammunition supplier. <\/p>\n

Why were there live bullets on set? <\/b><\/p>\n

How live bullets got on the set remains a crucial unanswered question. Movie producers don\u2019t normally use live bullets to simulate gunfire, but court documents in the case reflect the recovery of dozens of live rounds mixed with the film\u2019s supply of dummy bullets and blanks.<\/p>\n

Neither sheriff\u2019s nor FBI reports have identified the source of the live ammunition. Seth Kenney and his Albuquerque-based firm PDQ Arm & Prop were the primary guns and ammunition supplier to the film, but Kenney has told The Times<\/a> that he did not supply live ammunition.<\/p>\n

Has New Mexico\u2019s occupational safety department weighed in?<\/b><\/p>\n

New Mexico\u2019s Occupational Health and Safety Bureau delivered a stinging rebuke of the \u201cRust\u201d managers in April<\/a>, levying its maximum fine of $136,793 for safety violations that led to Hutchins\u2019 death, saying managers \u201cdemonstrated plain indifference\u201d to employee safety on the film set.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a complete failure of the employer to follow recognized national protocols that keep employees safe,\u201d New Mexico Environment Cabinet Secretary James Kenney said at the time.<\/p>\n

The producers, through Rust Movie Productions LLC, have denied wrongdoing<\/a> and the case is winding through an appeals process. A state commission has scheduled an eight-day hearing on the matter in April<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Who are the other producers? <\/b><\/p>\n

In addition to Baldwin, there were five other named producers<\/a>: Ryan Smith, Nathan Klingher, Ryan Winterstern, Matt DelPiano and Anjul Nigam. Smith, through his production company, Rust Movie Productions LLC, was primarily responsible for day-to-day operations, according to a lawsuit filed by Baldwin. <\/p>\n

Why did the Hutchins family settle their lawsuit?<\/b><\/p>\n

Hutchins\u2019 widower, Matthew Hutchins, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Baldwin and other producers in February 2022<\/a>, blaming the tragedy on cost-cutting measures and reckless behavior by Baldwin and members of the crew, including hiring inexperienced workers and disregarding safety concerns expressed during production by camera crew operators.<\/p>\n

In October, the family reached a tentative settlement with Baldwin and other producers<\/a>. Terms were not disclosed.<\/p>\n

As part of the settlement, husband Matthew Hutchins said he would serve as an executive producer on the production.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have no interest in engaging in recriminations or attribution of blame (to the producers or Mr. Baldwin),\u201d Matthew Hutchins said then. \u201cAll of us believe Halyna\u2019s death was a terrible accident.\u201d<\/p>\n

Will the movie \u201cRust\u201d still be made? <\/b><\/p>\n

Production managers have been looking to hire crew members to restart the production near Los Angeles, but the decision has been controversial. Should the district attorney bring charges against Baldwin, it could certainly complicate the production schedule. <\/p>\n

Times staff writer Anousha Sakoui contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Read More<\/a>
\n Meg James, Anousha Sakoui<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New Mexico prosecutors will soon reveal whether they will bring criminal charges in the accidental deadly shooting by Alec Baldwin of a cinematographer on the set of \u201cRust,\u201d a low-budget western movie. First Judicial Dist. Atty. Mary Carmack-Altwies, along with special prosecutor Andrea Reeb, plan to issue a written statement Thursday morning, according to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":599146,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[534,343,216],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-599145","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-financial","8":"category-prosecutors","9":"category-reveal"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/599145","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=599145"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/599145\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/599146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=599145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=599145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=599145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}