Authorities have released a statement following the accidental fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of Alec Baldwin’s latest film, Rust.
US police have revealed that criminal charges may still be filed after Baldwin accidentally shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded a director on the set of the Western film.
“All options are on the table,” District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said of any potential charges. “No one has been ruled out at this point.”
Investigators also said there was “some complacency” around safety on the set.
Sante Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza presented the initial findings of their investigation: “We suspect there were other live rounds found on set.”
“We’re going to determine how those got there, why they were there, because they shouldn’t have been there,” he added.
Police have recovered 600 pieces of evidence so far, including three firearms and 500 rounds of ammunition.
Sheriff Mendoza said a “lead projectile” had been removed from the shoulder of wounded director Joel Souza and handed over as evidence.
“I think the facts are clear – a weapon was handed to Mr Baldwin. The weapon [was] functional and fired a live round killing Ms Hutchins and injuring Mr Souza,” he said.
He also confirmed that two other people had handled the gun, an antique Colt .45 revolver, before it was handed to Baldwin, including the film’s armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and assistant director Dave Halls.
According to court documents that have now been made public, Halls admitted to investigators that he failed to check all the rounds in the gun before giving it to Baldwin.
As for Gutierrez-Reed, she told investigators that the firearms had been safely secured before the shooting, even though they were not.
“We’re going to try to determine exactly how [this] happened and if they should have known that there was a live round in that firearm,” Sheriff Mendoza said.
In a new report, it was revealed that Gutierrez-Reed once angered actor Nicolas Cage after she fired a gun without warning on another set.
The 24-year-old was repeatedly accused by crew members of breaking safety protocols on the set of The Old Way in August of this year.
Cage even walked off set screaming at Gutierrez-Reed for firing a gun without warning for the second time in three days.
“Make an announcement, you just blew my fucking eardrums out!” Cage yelled before storming off, the movie’s key grip, Stu Brumbaugh told The Wrap.
Alec Baldwin and the film’s producers have hired a private law firm to conduct an investigation into the shooting, according to the Reuters news agency.
The incident has sparked debate about safety regulations on Hollywood sets and the use of prop guns on productions.
“Obviously I think the industry has had a record recently of being safe,” Sheriff Mendoza told reporters. “[But] I think there are some safety issues that need to be addressed by the industry and possibly by the state of New Mexico.”
