Posted on 10/27/2021 12:27:12 AM PDT by grundle
Crew members had gone ”plinking“ and returned the gun to the set, an insider tells TheWrap
The gun that killed “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins last Thursday was used by crew members that morning for live-ammunition target practice, an individual with knowledge of the set told TheWrap.
A number of crew members had taken prop guns from the New Mexico set of the indie Western — including the gun that killed Hutchins — to go “plinking,” a hobby in which people shoot at beer cans with live ammunition to pass the time, the insider said.
The shooting happened just a few hours later, when lead actor and producer Alec Baldwin discharged a revolver after first assistant director David Halls confirmed that it was a “cold gun,” meaning that the gun did not have any live ammunition in it.
Search warrants issued over the weekend by New Mexico authorities said that Halls had grabbed one of three prop guns set up by armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed and yelled “cold gun” as he handed it to lead actor Alec Baldwin, indicating that the gun did not have any live rounds.
Baldwin, who was rehearsing a scene for the film, was “pointing the revolver towards the camera lens” when it hit director Joel Souza and Hutchins, according to the search warrant made public on Sunday. Hutchins grabbed her midsection and then stumbled backwards as she was assisted to the ground, Souza told authorities. Souza, who was also injured when the gun discharged, was released from a local hospital that night.
Asked for comment, the producers of “Rust” referred to a previous statement: “The safety of our cast and crew is the top priority of Rust Productions and everyone associated with the company. Though we were not made aware of any official complaints concerning weapon or prop safety on set, we will be conducting an internal review of our procedures while production is shut down. We will continue to cooperate with the Santa Fe authorities in their investigation and offer mental health services to the cast and crew during this tragic time.”
The details of the tragic shooting death of the 42-year-old cinematographer seemed only to get more disturbing on Monday as eyewitness accounts have raced through the Hollywood guilds and tight-knit indie community.
The new warrants confirmed that several members of the film’s camera crew had walked off the set earlier that day after complaining about housing, payment and working conditions — forcing producers to scramble to find a new crew.
According to the insider, a walkout by crew members from the below-the-line IATSE union would ordinarily trigger a shutdown of the entire production for 24-48 hours. Instead producers chose to hire non-union replacements to continue the shoot.
Reid Russel, whom the warrant identifies as a cameraman who was standing next to Hutchins and Souza as the gun discharged, said that the crew wrote a letter to the production over the disagreements and that after stepping out for five minutes after returning from lunch, the team was already in possession of the firearm preparing for the scene. He was unsure if it had been checked again in that time.
The police investigation is ongoing.
I think I read an article that said Baldwin was practice shooting.
See, it was everyone’s fault but Alec’s /s
It seems likely Baldwin deliberately fired the gun at people thinking it was unloaded. Did he manage to hit two other big shots in the production by accident? That is more than just violating gun safety rules.
However, others may have also screwed up big time, as there is no reason there should have been a bullet in that weapon.
I grew up plinking in backwoods trash dumps with my dad.
Somehow, in all the years since, I’ve managed to not shoot anyone.
Go figure.
Aren't cameras like 4-5 foot tall?
I believe the filming required Baldwin to shoot directly at the camera which is what Baldwin did. Unfortunately, the the lady killed was standing behind the camera. There were several breakdowns in gun safety protocols. I won’t mention them. But, if only one of the many had been performed this tragedy would not have occurred.
Right so 4ft is stomach height.
Not sure if true but my tin foil hat tells me..........Heard that the unfortunate dead girls husband is a lawyer working for a law firm involved with the Clinton initiative investigation, a possible message disguised as an accident being sent using unknowingly empty husk Baldwin? If true usually this kind of stuff comes out down the road as a side story
I posted several times that “plinking” was almost certainly how the live rounds got into the gun. Oscam’s razor.
How bout Alec check the gun chamber before he brings it on the set like the Screen Actors Guild demands of it’s actor.
You are a joke...
How bout Alec check the gun chamber before he brings it on the set like the Screen Actors Guild demands of it’s actors.
You are a joke...
“ How bout Alec check the gun chamber before he brings it on the set like the Screen Actors Guild demands of it’s actor.
You are a joke...”
**********
That would be included in one of the many levels of errors made I mentioned.
Before you personalize someone’s comments and attack them you should read and comprehend their post. Peace be with you brother.
It’s never the narcissist’s fault. And remember when this is over, Alec Baldwin will be MORE of a victim than the woman he shot and killed.
You are entirely correct. The number of safety measures ignored on this film are legion. As of right now with what are known facts, (if justice is served) jail time and bankruptcy ought to be very real outcomes for the producers and others who were responsible for safety and following industry protocols.
And yes, Alec Baldwin is a producer on this film.
Some interesting Tweets from Kirsty Alley on Twitter. In the last tweet, she dovetails what John Schneider stated in his Oct 22/23 YouTube interview about dry firing. Also interesting is the fact she states that in 40 years of being in this industry, she has never heard the term “Cold Gun”.
@kirstiealley
No
Replying to @kirstiealley
Is live ammunition allowed on movie sets ?
@kirstiealley
I’ll leave it to the investigation and law-enforcement to decide what actions will be taken. It’s a tragedy on every level and I feel for all involved. No one wanted this.
@kirstiealley
That’s the mystery part. There is NO live ammo on a set.. at least I’ve never seen any on a single set over the last 40 some years. I’m sure this will all result in answers. It’s a tragedy that was preventable at every turn.
@kirstiealley
No AD yells “COLD GUN” The armourer or prop person is supposed to PERSONALLY show you the gun so you can see it is empty for yourself. Then I dry fire it into the ground. I have NEVER been handed a gun by an AD & I’ve been handed 100 guns & I’ve never heard “COLD gun” in 40 years
Baldwins production company will go broke over this. Then comes personal liability for having shot the gun.
It is Occam’s razor.
Or Ockham’s razor is also acceptable.
Surprised the normally overly active little mischievous phone spell checker did not catch that.
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