Alec Baldwin was practicing drawing his gun during the fatal shot on set

Alexis Guilleux, with AFP 7:16 pm, October 25, 2021

Actor Alec Baldwin was practicing drawing his gun and pointing it at the camera when the fatal shot of a cinematographer fired during a shoot in the United States, according to court documents cited on Monday. by American media. 

The "sound of a whip, and a big 'pan'"

The director Joel Souza, injured in the shoulder by the shooting, stood behind the victim Halyna Hutchins. He said he heard what sounded like "the sound of a whip, and a big 'bang'," according to a preliminary investigation report obtained by NBC. "Alec (Baldwin) was sitting on a bench in a church setting, and he was practicing drawing," according to the document. The director was looking at him over Halyna Hutchins' shoulder.

After the shot, the filmmaker "grabbed the abdomen," said the director, adding that she had "started to stumble back" and was "helped to get to the ground".

Cameraman Reid Russell said the scene was not filmed as the crew were getting ready to shoot.

The crew of the New Mexico state-shot "Rust" was returning from a lunch break, and Joel Souza said "he wasn't sure" the gun had gone through another security check.

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 Fatal shot by Alec Baldwin: towards a ban on firearms on sets?

An accident that deeply shocked the world of cinema

Halyna Hutchins, 42, was shot in the chest on Thursday after Alec Baldwin actuated a weapon used as an accessory, an accident as rare as it was tragic that deeply shocked the world of cinema.

She was pronounced dead a few hours later.

A police investigation is underway, and Alec Baldwin has been heard.

No arrests have yet been made.

Sunday, a vigil in tribute to Halyna Hutchins was organized in Burbank, near Los Angeles.

The mood was steeped in bitterness and sadness, with attendees eager to know how such a tragedy had been possible.

A petition on the change.org site, calling for a ban on live firearms on filming and better working conditions for crews, had collected more than 24,000 signatures on Monday.