Actor Alec Baldwin was practicing drawing his gun, pointed at the camera, when the gunshot shot that claimed the life of a cinematographer during a shoot in the United States, according to new details on the film. drama revealed on Monday.
Director Joel Souza, injured in the shoulder by the shooting and recovering, said he heard what sounded like “the sound of a whip, and a big ‘bang'” as he stood behind the victim, Halyna Hutchins, specifies this new preliminary investigation report consulted by AFP.
The crew were filming a western titled Rust, in the state of New Mexico.
“Alec [Baldwin] was sitting on a bench in a church setting, and he was practicing drawing, ”the document reports. The director was looking at him over the shoulder of the 42-year-old cinematographer, who was shot in the torso on Thursday and was pronounced dead hours later.
After the shot, the filmmaker “grabbed the abdomen” and said she could no longer feel her legs, the director added, adding that she had “started to stumble back” and had been “helped to put down ”.
Cameraman Reid Russell clarified that the scene was not filmed as the crew were preparing to shoot.
Assistant director Dave Halls claimed the gun was “cold”, meaning not loaded with a live bullet in cinematic jargon. Joel Souza, however, said “not to be sure” that the weapon underwent another security check after the team’s lunch break. In any case, a shot was fired, an accident that sent shock waves through Hollywood.
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The investigation, still ongoing, has not yet clarified the responsibilities of those present that day – no prosecution has been initiated – but attention is focused on those who handled the weapon before. the shot.
According to Joel Souza, apart from actor Alec Baldwin, two people wielded the weapon.
The first, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, is a 24-year-old film gunsmith. It was she who had prepared the revolver, and placed it on a cart with two other weapons. After the shot, she was given the weapon and collected the used cartridge case, before handing them over to the police on their arrival.
The second, assistant director Dave Halls handed the gun to the actor, informing him that it was not loaded.
Mr. Halls “had no idea the gun was loaded with live ammunition,” said another report from an agent in the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office.
The assistant director, described as a seasoned professional, nevertheless suffered from a negative reputation for allowing unsafe practices to take place on set, NBC News reported on Sunday.
Sunday, a vigil in tribute to Halyna Hutchins was organized in Burbank, near Los Angeles. The mood was loaded with bitterness and sadness, with attendees eager to know how such a tragedy had been possible.
The drama started a debate on the safety of the teams and the use of weapons on the sets.
A petition on the site change.org, calling for a ban on live firearms on filming and for better working conditions for the teams, had collected more than 24,000 signatures on Monday.