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Alec Baldwin Handed “Hot Gun” On Set, 1 Dead & 1 Injured

On the afternoon of October 21st, 2021 there was an incident on the New Mexico set of the movie “Rust” wherein two people were “shot” and one was killed. The gun was a prop gun, but that’s all that is agreed on as of publication. Some are insisting the gun was “live” or “hot” while others insist it was a blank that misfired. There’s already plenty of conjecture as to what took place, who is at fault, and a rehashing of the most famous accidental “shooting” death in Hollywood, the death of Brandon Lee during production of “The Crow”.

But, as The New York Times’ tweet points out as of yesterday morning, there are still unanswered questions.

This is what we do know:

On October 21st, 2021 during filming of the move “Rust” in Santa Fe, New Mexico, actor Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun as was planned. What wasn’t planned was for Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and Director Joel Souza to be shot by an as yet unidentified projectile. Despite the myriad of reports out there police have not yet disclosed what was fired from the gun or even the type of gun fired as they are in the middle of their investigation.

There have been no arrests or charges filed at this time either. Just dozens of interviews that police are still sifting through.

Tragically, the LA Times discovered that there were some hefty safety concerns taking place on the set! Among those concerns listed by crew and stuntman were two prior misfires. “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.”

Other complaints included were “long hours, long commutes and waiting for their paychecks” which would lead to at least 12 of the crew walking off the set.

The times was able to review a text message which stated: “We’ve now had 3 accidental discharges. This is super unsafe” 

The “Rust Movie Productions” company left the following statement in response to the LA Times piece.

“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 LA Times goes on to spell out what they have pieced together through production notes that they got a hold of, but as the investigations have not been finished, nothing is official.

Halyna Hutchins (42) did not survive injuries sustained from the fired prop. The Director of Photography or Cinematographer is survived by her husband and son according to USA Today.

Direct of the indie flick, Joel Souza (48), was released from the hospital on the 22nd of October.

 

When first reported, many people questioned how two people could be shot at the same time and there were some “theories” that put the actor in a bad light. However, many sources (including the ones above) have made clear that Baldwin was assured before handling the weapon that that it was considered cold and therefore safe to use on set.

Baldwin sent out two tweets yesterday morning.

There have been several reactions on Twitter to the tragic circumstances of the onset accident.

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This story syndicated with permission from For the Love of News