"A certain carelessness" reigned over the western "Rust" in terms of security, estimated the sheriff overseeing the investigation, Wednesday, October 27.
The American actor Alec Baldwin activated, Thursday, a firearm serving as a prop on this set, accidentally killing the director of photography of the film and injuring its director.
"I think there was a certain carelessness on this set and I think there are issues that the (movie) industry and maybe the state (of New Mexico, to the states United) must lean, ”said Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza.
No arrests have taken place at this point and hearings of witnesses at the Bonanza Creek ranch, where Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot on October 21, are continuing.
Criminal prosecution against Alec Baldwin "not ruled out"
Earlier at a press conference, Santa Fe prosecutor Mary Carmack-Altwies insisted it was too early to establish each other's responsibilities and formulate any charges that may arise.
"We cannot say whether there has been negligence and if so on the part of whom, or how many people are involved. We have no certainty at this point," she said.
However, criminal charges against actor Alec Baldwin, also executive producer of the low-budget western, are not excluded, said Mary Carmack-Altwies.
Besides Alec Baldwin, other protagonists of the drama could also be implicated by justice, like the assistant director Dave Halls, who had given the weapon to the actor for the rehearsal of a scene and admitted not to have checked it before the tragedy.
According to several witnesses, Dave Halls had announced to Alec Baldwin that the weapon was "cold", which means in the jargon of the cinema that the revolver is empty and harmless.
The gunsmith of the set, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, could also be held to account.
On a film, the gunsmith is responsible for the weapons used during the various shots and must constantly ensure that they do not present any danger to the team.
Firearms are supposed to be kept locked up when not in use.
According to depositions gathered by investigators, Hannah Guttierez-Reed claimed that she had safely secured the guns to be used for Alec Baldwin's rehearsal when the team left the set for the lunch break, but not the guns. ammunition.
Dave Halls, for his part, testified that the gunsmith had shown him the weapon brought on the set after the break and said he remembered seeing three "dummy" cartridges in the barrel.
"He admits that he should have checked them all but did not," wrote an investigator in his report.
The presence of live ammunition on the set questioned
However, the searches carried out on the set resulted in the seizure of 500 cartridges, dummy or blank, among which also seem to be live ammunition, which has yet to be confirmed by forensic analyzes, said the sheriff.
The fatal bullet, which ended its course in the shoulder of director Joel Souza, injured during the shooting, will also be assessed.
Live bullets are totally prohibited on set by the very strict rules in force in the film industry, precisely to prevent this kind of accident.
"We're going to determine how (this live ammunition) got on set, why it was there, because it shouldn't have been there," Sheriff Adan Mendoza said.
The investigators did not refer to it but the specialized site The Wrap affirms, citing sources close to the shooting, that some members of the team had used the revolver in question to fire live ammunition at cans of beer just a few hours. before the accident.
With AFP
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