Alec Baldwin Fires Prop Gun Killing One, Injuring Another

[Karin Schill]

Well I guess there's nothing he can say really that will make this situation better. It's a tragedy and yes I believe he is concerned about her husband and son and he feels bad about what happened. But I also think his first priority is keeping his own family out of the limelight as much as possible. He wants to protect his own kids from the unwanted media attention. So that's why he said anything at all. In the hopes of getting them off his back.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

This was headlined here as "breaking his silence" but he broke it only to say he couldn't say anything which seems rather pointless.

He's been doing a lot of finger-pointing. He probably thinks it's a good idea, but I'm not sure it is.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

A crew member struck by debris from the shot is now, rather predictably, suing Alec and the producers.

 

[Biggie]

The guy hit by debris has every reasonable expectation that his employer takes every reasonable and practical step to ensure is safety. The debris hitting him means that something in part or fully has failed.

There is no reason for him not to litigate. I hope he's successful

 

[Karin Schill]

Apparently Alec has hired a lawyer to defend him and the production company:

Alec Baldwin Lawyers Up To Fight Over 'Rust' Shooting, Actor Takes Sides With Production After Firing 'Live' Round That Killed Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins

The actor is ready to fight despite being the one who fired the 'live' round, killing his crew member.

radaronline.com

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Alec and Kevin celebrate Pride:

Alec Baldwin & Kevin Spacey Fight Over #Pride Month - YouTube

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

"No one ever lenses a star...!"

Sounds like Alec may be charged after all....

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

"No one ever lenses a star...!"

Sounds like Alec may be charged after all....

I thought it was just a tragic accident?

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Alec has now been charged with manslaughter .

Baldwin and the film’s armorer who was in charge of weapons on the set, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, will each face two counts of involuntary manslaughter, according to New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies.


The first assistant director, David Halls, has agreed to plead guilty to the negligent use of a deadly weapon and will testify for the state, prosecutors said.

“This decision distorts Halyna Hutchins’ tragic death and represents a terrible miscarriage of justice," according to a statement by Baldwin's attorney, Luke Nikas.

"Mr. Baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun — or anywhere on the movie set. He relied on the professionals with whom he worked, who assured him the gun did not have live rounds. We will fight these charges, and we will win.”
An attorney for Gutierrez-Reed also vowed to prove his client isn't culpable.

"Hannah is, and has always been, very emotional and sad about this tragic accident. But she did not commit involuntary manslaughter," Jason Bowles said in a statement.

"These charges are the result of a very flawed investigation, and an inaccurate understanding of the full facts. We intend to bring the full truth to light and believe Hannah will be exonerated of wrongdoing by a jury."

Punishment could be up to 5 years behind bars
Involuntary manslaughter is a fourth-degree felony and is normally punishable by up to 18 months behind bars and a $5,000 fine, prosecutors said. But a firearm enhancement on the charges could make the crime punishable by a mandatory sentence of five years in jail, prosecutors said.

“After a thorough review of the evidence and the laws of the state of New Mexico, I have determined that there is sufficient evidence to file criminal charges against Alec Baldwin and other members of the ‘Rust’ film crew,” Carmack-Altwies said in a statement.
“On my watch, no one is above the law, and everyone deserves justice.”

Hutchins was fatally shot nearly 15 months ago during the filming of “Rust” at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in New Mexico on Oct. 21, 2021. Baldwin was rehearsing with a pistol for a scene set inside a church when the gun went off, killing Hutchins and wounding the director, Joel Souza.

No charges will be filed in connection with Souza's wounding, the prosecutors said.

Prosecutor: A 'disregard for safety' led to tragedy​

“If any one of these three people — Alec Baldwin, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed or David Halls — had done their job, Halyna Hutchins would be alive today. It’s that simple,” special prosecutor Andrea Reeb said in a statement.

“The evidence clearly shows a pattern of criminal disregard for safety on the ‘Rust’ film set. In New Mexico, there is no room for film sets that don’t take our state’s commitment to gun safety and public safety seriously.”

Hutchins, 42, is survived by her husband, Matthew Hutchins, and their son, Aldous, who was 9 at the time.


Image: Halyna Hutchins (Fred Hayes / Getty Images file)© Provided by NBC News

The family said it supports the prosecutors' decision to seek criminal charges.
“We want to thank the Santa Fe Sheriff and the District Attorney for concluding their thorough investigation and determining that charges for involuntary manslaughter are warranted for the killing of Halyna Hutchins with conscious disregard for human life," according to a statement by attorney Brian Panish, who is representing the family.

"Our independent investigation also supports charges are warranted. It is a comfort to the family that, in New Mexico, no one is above the law. We support the charges, will fully cooperate with this prosecution, and fervently hope the justice system works to protect the public and hold accountable those who break the law.”

Charges will be formally filed by the end of the month, likely leading to a preliminary hearing within 60 days, Carmack-Altwies said.
That's when a judge will rule whether prosecutors have presented enough evidence to proceed with a trial, according to the prosecutor.
"There is a very clear process for pursuing justice in this case," Carmack-Altwies said. "We are committed to upholding the integrity of that process to ensure equal justice under the law."

The announcement about the charges came three months after the Sante Fe Sheriff’s Office submitted its investigative findings to prosecutors.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza told ABC’s “Good Morning America” in April that he believed there was a “degree of neglect” on the set of “Rust.” But he left decisions about criminal charges to the district attorney’s office.



In early October, Hutchins’ husband reached a settlement in his wrongful death lawsuit against the producers of “Rust,” including Baldwin.

Matthew Hutchins said in a statement that filming would resume in January and he would join the project as an executive producer as part of the agreement.

“Throughout this difficult process, everyone has maintained the specific desire to do what is best for Halyna’s son,” Baldwin said in an Instagram post after the settlement was announced. “We are grateful to everyone who contributed to the resolution of this tragic and painful situation.”

Baldwin maintains he's not responsible for death​

New Mexico’s Office of the Medical Investigator determined that the shooting was an accident based on autopsy results and a review of law enforcement documents, according to The Associated Press.

In an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in December 2021, Baldwin gave his first public account of the fatal shooting and claimed that he did not pull the trigger. He forcefully insisted that he was not to blame and said he did not feel guilty about the incident.
“I feel that someone is responsible for what happened, and I can’t say who that is,” he said. “But I know it’s not me.”
Baldwin added that, if he could, he “would go to any lengths to undo what happened.”

“Rust,” set in Kansas in the 1880s, stars Baldwin as a graying outlaw who goes on the run with his estranged grandson after the boy accidentally kills a local rancher, according to a plot synopsis on the Internet Movie Database.
Souza is expected to return as the director when filming picks back up this month. He previously directed the under-the-radar independent crime dramas “Crown Vic” and “Break Night.”
Baldwin is a prolific actor known for playing executive Jack Donaghy in the NBC sitcom “30 Rock,” impersonating former President Donald Trump on “Saturday Night Live,” and appearing in films such as “Beetlejuice” and “Glengarry Glen Ross.”
He was nominated for a best supporting actor Oscar for “The Cooler,” released in 2003.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

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[Snarky Oracle!]

it should be pointed out, however, that the D.A. who decided to charge Baldwin is apparently a shameless Trumper.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

It should be noted that the charges against Alec have been dropped a few weeks ago:

The special prosecutors, Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis, released a statement regarding the decision to drop his charges, saying they may be refiled after “further investigation.”

“Over the last few days and in preparation for the May 3, 2023, preliminary hearing, new facts were revealed that demand further investigation and forensic analysis in the case against Alexander “Alec” Rae Baldwin, III. Consequently, we cannot proceed under the current time constraints and on the facts and evidence turned over by law enforcement in its existing form. We therefore will be dismissing the involuntary manslaughter charges against Mr. Baldwin to conduct further investigation. This decision does not absolve Mr. Baldwin of criminal culpability and charges may be refiled. Our follow-up investigation will remain active and on-going.”


Man that SOB has got to have a Scorpio Rising.

 

[Brian Kinney]

The thread could be now about the armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed not Alec Baldwin. Very interesting plot twist!

June 14, 2023:
‘Rust’ Prosecutors Say Armorer Likely Hung Over On Set The Day Of Fatal Shooting

Prosecutors have responded to Rust defendant Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s attempt to have her involuntary manslaughter charge dropped in the 2021 shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, saying the indie Western’s armorer “has a history of reckless conduct that has resulted in loss of human life and it is in the public interest that she finally be held accountable.”

(...) [W]itnesses will testify that Gutierrez-Reed was “drinking heavily and smoking marijuana in the evenings during the shooting of Rust,” and that she was likely hung over on the morning of October 21, 2021, when an antique gun loaded with a live round and held by Baldwin discharged during a rehearsal.

June 22, 2023:
‘Rust’ Prosecutors Add Evidence Tampering Charge Against Film’s Armorer

The special prosecutors in the case said Thursday in a court filing that the second count alleges “the above-named defendant did transfer narcotics to another person with the intent to prevent the apprehension, prosecution or conviction of herself.”

June 30, 2023:
‘Rust’ Armorer Tried To Hide Cocaine After Being Questioned By Police In Fatal Shooting, Prosecutors Say

The revelation came in a motion (...) on Thursday afternoon by prosecutors seeking to protect the identity of a witness who will testify about the drug transfer, saying the witness has concerns about “being subject to harassment from the media” in the high-profile case.

Prosecutors also said the witness, referred to as S1, fears their testimony will result in “being blacklisted from the film industry for coming forward with the information about the defendant. Specifically, S1 stated to undersigned counsel, ‘I will never be able to work in the film industry again.’ ”

The armorer's lawyer Jason Bowles must feel like Blake's lawyer Andrew Laird when Alexis entered the court in Dynasty's Season 1 finale:

“A secret witness appears 20 months later? With no actual corroboration or evidence? And the state won’t identify the person?,” he told Deadline. “This is a throwback to the secret, star chamber prosecutions in England in the 15th century that were abolished.

Btw: she looks far worse than Alec Baldwin and she's only 25.

As if one crime isn't enough... Why is someone with such terrible hair even allowed to work at any film set???

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Alec was recently harassed in a coffee shop by a strong BW with a cellphone, demanding he "say 'Free Palestine!'" and, worse, taunts him about the RUST shooting.

I'm sympathetic to the de facto genocide going on in Gaza -- much more than I tend to be about Alec himself (I have no idea what his position is on the slaughter going on in the middle east by the IDF) but she's way out of line here. Especially with her line about "Why did you kill that lady??"

Alec, of course, can't control himself and, after a few moments, slaps the phone out of her hands. (Sadly, he was unarmed that day). One can understand his reaction though, even if he shouldn't have taken the bait.

I, myself, probably would have shot her.

 

[DallasFanForever]

I’m surprised he was able to restrain himself as long as he did.

Whatever came of all this? I know the charges were dropped but were they ever refiled?

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

I’m surprised he was able to restrain himself as long as he did.

Whatever came of all this? I know the charges were dropped but were they ever refiled?

Which charges? The shooting? Or the slapping which should have been a slapping?

 

[Karin]

I think it was ruled that it was the gun handler on set who had caused the error due to having some sort of addiction problem. She has been sentenced to jail.

Alec is actually also a victim in this as he trusted the gun handler to have done her job and must have been shocked when the gun went off and the female cinematographer was killed.

Also the woman in the video that is taunting Alec is way out of line. She should have just left him alone. But then again greed always wins. I bet she sold the footage to that paper and made a profit out of Alec's misery.

 

[Seaviewer]

As I understand it, Alec has also been charged and will face trial later this year.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

As I understand it, Alec has also been charged and will face trial later this year.

Which makes it all the riskier for him too react in a pseudo-violent, entitled manner.

Not that I can blame him all that much in this case.

 

[DallasFanForever]

Which makes it all the riskier for him too react in a pseudo-violent, entitled manner.

Not that I can blame him all that much in this case.

I know it’s easy for us to say but just walk away at that point. He should’ve just left. I understand she shouldn’t have the right to run him off so to speak but it’s being recorded and the last thing he needs right now is a confrontation on camera.