Alec Baldwin deadly shooting: Probe nearly finished, says sheriff
The criminal investigation into the fatal shooting on a US movie starring Alec Baldwin is “nearing completion,” the officer leading the probe said Tuesday. Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendozaʼs comments come as his department released a trove of materials around the incident that claimed Halyna Hutchinsʼ life on the set of low-budget Western “Rust,” including footage of Baldwin apparently practicing with the gun that killed her. “Weʼve estimated a time frame...in weeks and not months,” Mendoza told broadcaster ABC.
“Thereʼs a few things that weʼre waiting for in the final FBI report in regards to the analysis of the firearm, the munitions, the latent prints and DNA. “Weʼre also waiting on the office of the medical investigator to complete their report and analysis of a little bit more cell phone data.” Cinematographer Hutchins, 42, died after being hit by a live round that came from the gun Baldwin was holding as he rehearsed on the New Mexico set in October.
Baldwin, who was a producer as well as the star of the movie, had been told the gun was safe and has previously said he did not pull the trigger. Footage released by the sheriffʼs department show first responders rushing to treat Hutchins, as well as a dazed Baldwinʼs first encounters with law enforcement. Other clips, apparently from the now-abandoned movie, show the Hollywood star in period dress sitting in the pew of the wooden church and pulling out the Colt gun, which he points in the direction of the camera. The moment of the shooting, in which director Joel Souza was also hurt, is not seen.
Criminal charges
Strict measures are supposed to be in place on movie sets to prevent tragedies, including the exclusive use of dummy or blank rounds in any production involving firearms. But a health and safety probe by New Mexico officials, which levied a fine of over $136,000, said last week that producers had shown “plain indifference” to these protocols. Mendoza said Tuesday the provenance of the live round that killed Hutchins was “one of the key questions” of the criminal probe.
“Nobodyʼs come forward and admitted to bringing ammunition to the set,” he said. The raft of materials includes messages from Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the young armorer who was responsible for weaponry on the set, that refer to the use of live rounds on another movie. “Thatʼs concerning, because it was just a few months before the production of ʻRustʼ went into effect,” Mendoza said. “And these are some of the same employees and people that played a role in the ʻRustʼ production.”—AFP