Criminal proceedings against actor Alec Baldwin, who accidentally killed a cinematographer on the set of Rust last week, are not ruled out at this point, the prosecutor investigating the fatal shooting said on Wednesday.
“All options are on the table at this point” and “no one is excluded” regarding possible prosecutions, Santa Fe prosecutor Mary Carmack-Altwies said at a press conference.
“He was the one who operated the weapon,” noted the Santa Fe County sheriff in New Mexico.
Searches carried out at the Bonanza Creek ranch, where Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot on October 21, resulted in the seizure of 500 ammunition, Sheriff Adan Mendoza said.
Pending the findings of the forensic science, investigators believe it is a mixture of dummy cartridges, blank cartridges and live ammunition.
This ammunition will be analyzed by a laboratory of the Federal Police (FBI), as well as the deadly projectile fired by Alec Baldwin, which ended up in the shoulder of the director of the western, Joel Souza, injured in the accident.
“We will determine how [ces munitions réelles] arrived on the set, why they were there, because they should not have been there ”, underlined Mr. Mendoza.
The very strict recommendations of the film industry with regard to firearms prohibit the presence of live ammunition on set, precisely to prevent this type of accident.
” Let it go “
“I think there was a certain carelessness on this plateau and I think there are issues on which the industry [du cinéma] and maybe the state [du Nouveau-Mexique] must lean, ”said the sheriff.
No arrests have taken place at this stage and witness hearings are continuing.
In addition to actor Alec Baldwin, who also had the title of executive producer of the film, other protagonists of the drama could also be called into question by justice, like the assistant director Dave Halls, who had delivered the lethal weapon to the actor for the rehearsal of a scene.
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, 24, 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.
But the specialized site The Wrap says, citing sources familiar with the filming, that some members of the crew had used the offending revolver to fire live ammunition at cans of beer just hours before the crash.
But prosecutor Mary Carmack-Altwies insisted it was too early to establish each other’s responsibilities and formulate any charges that may arise.
“We can’t say if there was negligence and, if so, by whom, nor how many people are involved. We have no certainty at this point, ”she said.