Alec Baldwin shooting incident

We are learning more about the tragic accident where Alec Baldwin discharged a prop gun, killing a promising young cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. There are several updates to this story that are complicating an already tense situation. 

Here are the latest updates.

The Crew Walked Off Due to Unsafe Work Conditions

Almost immediately after the accident, a story came out that multiple crew members staged a walkout over unsafe working conditions on the Rust movie set: 

Crew members raised concerns about the prop guns misfiring. Members of the camera crew walked off set hours before the incident that led to Hutchins’ death. 

Reports state that the producers then replaced the crew that left with “non-union” workers. While many are tying this to the incident it should be noted that there is no evidence that one of the non-union crewmembers was responsible for handling the prop weapons.

Members of the Crew Shot the Gun For Fun

It seems like there was very little supervision of live weaponry on the set.

One wonders, why weren’t all of the guns under lock and key by the armorer? 

Co-Worker Thought The Assistant Director Was Unsafe

Fingers immediately pointed at assistant director Dave Halls, the man who allegedly gave the gun to Baldwin, and told him it was safe to use.

Those who worked with Halls previously said the AD frequently disregarded safety protocols and failed to make take proper precautions to protect the crew.

“He did not maintain a safe working environment,” Goll said in a detailed statement to NBC News. “Sets were almost always allowed to become increasingly claustrophobic, no established fire lanes, exits blocked. … Safety meetings were nonexistent.”

Authorities have not charged Hall, nor anyone associated with the incident.

Could Alec Baldwin Face Charges? 

The investigation is ongoing and authorities have not filed charges. Some legal experts believe it unlikely that Baldwin will face charges, especially if it proves accurate that he didn’t know the gun was loaded. 

However, there is a strong possibility someone else affiliated with the incident, including the assistant director may face charges since he was the one who handed Baldwin the gun and told him it was safe to use.

Hollywood Reacts To Alec Baldwin Tragedy

Hollywood has reacted to the tragedy with a mix of shock, anger, and sadness.

Westworld star Jeffrey Wright made note of the apparent lack of proper safety procedures that may have caused the incident: 

“I don’t recall ever being handed a weapon that was not cleared in front of me — meaning chamber open, barrel shown to me, light flashed inside the barrel to make sure that it’s cleared,” Wright said. “Clearly, that was a mismanaged set.”

Some actors want real weapons banned from use, including Rosanna Arquette:

“I hope this wakes people up. Because there should be no live round anything ever on a movie. We have enough CGI, we have enough — it’s absurd.”

Regardless, this is a tragedy. The more we learn the murkier this situation becomes. What is clear is that a talented artist and mother lost her life and we should pray for her family.

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