Alec Baldwin fired prop gun, killing 1 on movie set, Oct 2021 #2

[RANCH]

That's how Jon-Eric Hexum died. He played "Russian Roulette" with a gun loaded with blanks. But even a blank can be deadly if fired in close proximity.

And Brandon Lee was killed on set when improperly made dummy rounds were used.

The crew failed to remove the primer from the cartridges and at some point, prior to the fatal incident, one of the rounds was fired

The firing of the improperly made dummy round forced the bullet into the barrel of the gun were it stopped. When a properly made blank was later fired in the gun the bullet launched out of the gun and killed Brandon Lee.

No one checked the gun for obstructions before this accident happened.

Brandon Lee's family speaks out on Alec Baldwin film set tragedy that left one dead and one injured | Daily Mail Online

 

[jjenny]

Civil lawsuit against someone who isn't loaded is not likely-lawsuits costs money, and if someone isn't loaded, lawyers won't be willing to pursue it-there is no point.

 

[Kiranerys]

I also see a scenario with lack of respect for the Armorer, and for the ownership of prop weapons.

Why were guns even available for what sounds like random people to use for target practice?

Why were people allowed to take weapons, put in real ammunition, and shoot at "targets"? Shouldnt the props be locked up at all times, as much to prevent theft or tampering?

And why was there even live ammo.?

Did the rest of the crew just run roughshod over The Armorer because she was young and less experienced and a woman they could intimidate?

Or did she allow this behaviour because she didn't know how to or want to be the one to shut all the goofing around with real weapons?

Maybe she was the one goofing around with the weapons? It's entirely possible that she was the one leading the after hours target practice.
Why do we have to assume that she is some weak little girl who was pushed around?

 

[RANCH]

Civil lawsuit against someone who isn't loaded is not likely-lawsuits costs money, and if someone isn't loaded, lawyers won't be willing to pursue it-there is no point.

You're right. Especially when there are other possible defendants that have large amounts of assets.

With cinematographer Halyna Hutchins just starting what looks like a very promising career where she could have provided a very large amount of income for her family in her lifetime, the potential judgements in future civil lawsuits could be very high. JMO.

 

[RANCH]

Cinematography Industry
The highest-paid cinematographers work in the high-end area of the industry. They work on big projects like the Olympics, the Super Bowl, awards shows, and other major television and film projects. Cinematographers working on high-end projects such as these often find themselves making a salary of $20,000 per day for their expertise and skill, according to a report from the No Film School website.

How Much Do Cinematographers Get Paid?

 

[RANCH]

Halyna Hutchins remembered as gifted cinematographer

“I think the big deal about her in general, beyond being extremely talented — which is a given — is just her generous and really open personality,” he said. “In the film industry, which is super competitive, it’s not enough to have talent. It’s good to have this human, appealing personality.”

 

[Lux et Veritas]

Hours before Alec Baldwin shooting, crew walked off set to protest safety conditions

... Most troubling to Jay, “There was one day the actress was aiming it at her head. He didn’t want to do safety meeting! It took a person from another department demanding the meeting to finally hold it. It shouldn’t be like that. It should be first and foremost safety.”

In another distressing example, Halls wanted to film a scene with pyrotechnics while the person authorized to set it alight was suffering from a medical emergency. “We had to do a fire effect, but you have to do a fire safety card that allows you to work with pyrotechnics. That person was having a medical emergency in the parking lot. [Halls] said, ‘Yes, it’s very tragic, we hope he gets better, can you just light this pyrotechnic?’ Looking at me in props. No, I’m not trained in that. A man is outside in an unknown condition having seizures. Finally, the fire safety officer said, ‘No, absolutely not, we will be waiting until we get a person that’s licensed to do this.'” ...

WOW. Asst. Director Dave Halls is a nasty piece of work. Yeah, I'll say it - in my view, sociopathic. 100% JMO.

 

[Lux et Veritas]

Film Crew Members Say The Alec Baldwin Prop Gun Shooting Fits A Pattern Of Safety Shortfalls

One of the best articles yet which gives a sharp overview of the wretched, demeaning, dangerous working conditions IATSE workers endure ... and the endless, egregious offenses of AD Dave Halls in particular.

No wonder the union voted nearly unanimously to strike.

 

[ilovewings]

Veteran prop master turned down 'Rust' film: 'An accident waiting to happen'

 

[jjenny]

"Crew members on the set of "Rust" used guns with live ammunition and engaged in a pastime called "plinking" hours before Halyna Hutchins was killed, founder and CEO of The Wrap, Sharon Waxman, told CNN's Don Lemon Monday night, citing information from an individual with knowledge of the set."
Alec Baldwin shooting: 'Rust' crew members reportedly used guns with live ammunition hours before deadly incident on set - CNN

 

[Datchery]

Reading all this, my guess is there is going to be MASSIVE civil liability, and criminal charges for at least one person, who will not be AB (he will have some civil liability for the shooting itself, and more depending on how much he was involved as a producer).

IMO, either DH or HGR will face criminal charges, depending on what exactly happened. If DH took a gun from a table, assumed it was unloaded, and declared it "cold" without checking, it will be him. If HGR told him it was cold without checking, it will be her, even though he should have checked rather than relying on her information.

That doesn't mean there weren't a ton of other failures on the part of many people. But the only person who I would say seems to bear a criminal level of responsibility so far is whoever first said the gun was cold--which should have meant "personally checked by me"--without checking.

OTOH, though I don't remember the details, the guy who owned the bar in the Ghost Ship fire got a hefty prison sentence because his place was in knowing, egregious violation of fire codes, even though he hadn't done anything in particular to start the fire. If producers were in knowing, egregious violation of safety standards--as it sounds like they were--maybe they do have criminal culpability. But I think the fact that responsibility is so dispersed here muddies the waters.

 

[JaneEyre]

I totally agree. But the fact that she likely doesn't have as deep of pockets as some other parties involved here leads me to think that she may not come out quite as well as some of those others.

I think she's not going to come out of this as well because her job was clear and it appears that those guns were not handled correctly by her.

If it comes out that they weren't locked up by her during lunch, nor rechecked by her after lunch that's going to be a big problem for her.

 

[JaneEyre]

I can understand the part where she hopes to grow but wanting to be "untouchable" while knowing "everything" is a bit strange to me.

I think it shows her maturity level is lacking. There's a lot of bravado there. It's not a good look for someone who is supposed to be in charge of weapon safety.

 

[JaneEyre]

And Brandon Lee was killed on set when improperly made dummy rounds were used.


The firing of the improperly made dummy round forced the bullet into the barrel of the gun were it stopped. When a properly made blank was later fired in the gun the bullet launched out of the gun and killed Brandon Lee.

No one checked the gun for obstructions before this accident happened.

Brandon Lee's family speaks out on Alec Baldwin film set tragedy that left one dead and one injured | Daily Mail Online

This is why I just think real guns on the set are never safe. Replicas that can't be loaded with anything seem to be the safest bet. We can all get by without seeing a close-up of a gun being loaded with anything, I think.

 

[JaneEyre]

"Crew members on the set of "Rust" used guns with live ammunition and engaged in a pastime called "plinking" hours before Halyna Hutchins was killed, founder and CEO of The Wrap, Sharon Waxman, told CNN's Don Lemon Monday night, citing information from an individual with knowledge of the set."
Alec Baldwin shooting: 'Rust' crew members reportedly used guns with live ammunition hours before deadly incident on set - CNN

I want to know who these cast members were and if the armorer was aware (or even part of it.) Further, who else on the set was aware?

 

[jjenny]

I want to know who these cast members were and if the armorer was aware (or even part of it.) Further, who else on the set was aware?

My understanding is that armorer is supposed to be in controls of guns. Either guns should be in her possession or locked somewhere. They shouldn't just be available for target practice.

 

[Gardenista]

I genuinely cannot imagine "some" wonderfully talented and intelligent actors checking a "cold gun" for live ammo, a real gun, blanks, firing pins etc despite their ability to memorize pages and pages of script. It's possible this occurs more often than I realize but... I don't think we've heard from many celebrity (big name) actors stating they practice this on every action movie set? *Would they admit NOT practicing these safety protocols now?

ETA: Do you think reporters are chasing down the stars of the best action movies from the past 5 years to ask if they checked each of the firearms handed to them by AD's, armorers, those in charge of weapons on set??

Yes, we've had several quotes on the last thread from other actors who say they check their guns themselves.

 

[Gardenista]

Alec Baldwin 'Rust' Actor Says Camera Was Protected During Shooting, Not Actors

Hudson says the other, more experienced actors checked their weapons 2 or 3 times after they received them from the armorer, and it didn't matter whether they were told the gun was "cold" or "hot." Baldwin did not check the weapon, but rather relied on the assistant director who assured him the gun was "cold."

 

[Cool Cats]

Detectives Find Loose, Boxed Ammo In Fanny Pack On 'Rust' Set

New Docs Show Inventory From Bonanza Creek Ranch Search

Search warrant return shows detectives collected nine “spent casing(s)” from shooting on set of Alec Baldwin film ‘Rust’ in Santa Fe last week

One of the central mysteries about the killing of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins remains what kind of projectile was fired from the gun and how it got there. Investigators hope a forensic analysis of ballistic evidence will shed light on those questions, Juan Rios, spokesman for the Santa Fe Sheriff's Department, said on Monday.

"This is a complicated case," he said.

Detectives found loose and boxed ammunition, some of it in a fanny pack, at the New Mexico movie set of “Rust” after the fatal shooting of the Western’s cinematographer, according to a police search warrant inventory.

Three black revolvers and nine spent shell casings also were collected, according to the list filed with the Santa Fe Magistrates Court and released Monday.

The inventory adds no new specifics about the prop-gun shooting death of Halyna Hutchins by actor Alec Baldwin during a rehearsal Thursday with what Baldwin told authorities he thought was an unloaded pistol. But the scattered ammunition suggests a disorganized system for maintaining a dangerous prop.

Typically, ammunition would be kept in a single labeled box, veteran professional armorer Mike Tristano told The New York Times. “The fact that there is loose ammunition and casings raises questions about the organization of the armory department,” he said.

The police inventory didn’t specify whether what it labeled as “ammo” included live or dummy bullets, or blank cartridges.

 

[Cool Cats]

Alec Baldwin's Rust film 'will NEVER be finished' after shooting leaves cinematographer dead | Daily Mail Online

Although Alec Baldwin (pictured), who fired the fatal shot, will likely be named in upcoming lawsuits, whoever loaded the gun will be the most likely to face criminal charges

The difference between live rounds and blanks is the tip of the cartridge where the lethal bullet is contained is not there on a blank. Sometimes they are replaced with cotton or paper. Dummy bullets, unlike blanks, look like ordinary bullets but aren’t meant to contain the metal bullet tip either

The gun that fired the fatal shot was a vintage-style Colt revolver, (pictured) DailyMail.com has exclusively learned

On Saturday, it was revealed by TMZ that Colt pistol in question had previously been used recreationally for target practice by crew members. Sources claim that some of the set's crew would go off for target practice using real bullets, and some believe that a live round from those sessions found its way into the barrel of the gun used on set.

Another source told TMZ that live ammo and blanks were being stored in the same area on set, offering another possible explanation as to how a bullet was fired from Baldwin's Colt.