A vigil is being held for cinematographer Halyna Hutchins who suffered an accidental gun attack by actor Alec Baldwin.
Recent court documents report that the gun Alec Baldwin used while recording on the set of the Western film Rust was one which he had been reportedly told was ‘safe to use.’
On the day of the incident, the actors involved in the film were rehearsing a gunfight scene and things were already tense on-set due to ongoing complaints about unsafe working conditions. Three crew members who were present at the Bonanza Creek Ranch set said they were particularly concerned about two accidental prop gun discharges.
Baldwin’s stunt double accidentally fired two rounds Saturday after being told that the gun was “cold” — lingo for a weapon that doesn’t have any ammunition, including blanks — two crew members who witnessed the episode told the Los Angeles Times.
A colleague was so alarmed by the prop gun misfires that he sent a text message to the unit production manager. “We’ve now had 3 accidental discharges. This is super unsafe,” according to a copy of the message reviewed by The Times. These instances of misinformation led around a half-dozen frustrated camera workers on-site to protest the inappropriate working conditions by walking off the set.
One of the producers ordered the union members to leave the set and threatened to call security to remove them if they didn’t leave voluntarily. “Corners were being cut — and they brought in nonunion people so they could continue shooting,” it was reportedly stated. The shooting occurred about six hours after the union camera crew left.
The victim of the misfire, who has now been identified as being Halyna Hutchins aged 42, was airlifted from the set to the hospital but later pronounced dead. Director Joel Souza, 48, suffered a shoulder injury but was promptly discharged from the same hospital.
On Monday, sources close to Baldwin said he was looking “to take some time to himself and re-center himself”. Sources say Baldwin came into contact with Hutchins’ father, Anatoly Androsovych, who said he did not blame the actor for his daughter’s death.
“We still can’t believe Halyna is dead and her mother is going out of her mind with grief. But I don’t hold Alec Baldwin responsible. It is the responsibility of the props people who handle the guns,” he told The Sun.
The latest updates highlight that production bosses said they were also still cooperating with police as the investigation continues, adding they are “conducting an internal review of safety protocols”.
“As with any ongoing investigation, we are limited in our ability to say anything further publicly or privately, and ask for your patience in that regards.”
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