(Santa Fe) Alec Baldwin was handed a loaded gun by an assistant director who said it could be safely used in the moments before the actor shot dead a cinematographer, according to court documents released Friday.
The director was unaware the pistol was loaded with live ammunition, according to a search warrant filed with a Santa Fe court.
The warrant was obtained on Friday so investigators could document the ranch scene where the shooting took place. He notes that Baldwin’s bloodstained costume for the film Rust was taken as evidence, as was the weapon that was used.
Investigators also seized other firearms and ammunition intended for the film.
Sheriff Juan Rios spokesman said Alec Baldwin was authorized to travel. “He is a free man,” said Rios.
At least one shot from a gun wielded by the famous American actor fatally struck a woman and seriously injured a man at the filming location on Thursday at a desert site in the state of New Mexico. .
A police investigation has been opened into this tragedy, which appears to be accidental. No arrests had yet been made on Friday.
According to Sante Fe County Sheriff’s staff, the cinematographer for the film Rust, Halyna Hutchins, was airlifted to the University of New Mexico Hospital, where the 42-year-old lady was pronounced dead.
As for director Joel Souza, who was also affected, he was transported to another hospital. The 48-year-old man is being treated for his injuries. Some media report that he got his leave.
According to the newspaper Santa Fe New Mexican, Alec Baldwin was seen in tears near the sheriff’s office. Attempts to get comment from the 63-year-old actor were unsuccessful. One of its representatives simply confirmed that an accident occurred on the film set.
PHOTO JIM WEBER, SUPPLIED BY SANTA FE NEW MEXICAN
The local newspaper Santa Fe New Mexican posted images of visibly distraught Alec Baldwin, taken in a parking lot after the tragedy. This publication specifies that its reporters saw the actor in tears after his questioning by investigators.
“There are no words to express my shock and sadness over the tragic accident that claimed the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and college whom we greatly admired,” Baldwin wrote on Twitter, Friday. I fully cooperate with the police investigation. My heart breaks for her husband, her son and everyone who knew and loved Halyna. ”
The accessories used during filming are sometimes real weapons that can contain live bullets or be blank loaded.
Charged with white, they produce a flash and a detonation, but no projectile. However, when the trigger is pulled, the paper or plastic wrap of the cartridge can be ejected with enough force to be fatal at close range.
Police were called at around 2 p.m. local time at the Bonanza Creek ranch, Mr. Rios said, after receiving calls to 911 indicating that a person had been shot on set.
The filming location of Rust has been used in the past for many films, including the recent News of the World, by Tom Hanks.
The shooting of Rust was interrupted. The story is about a 13-year-old teenager and his younger brother who have to defend themselves on their own after their parents died in Kansas in the 1880s, according to the Movie Database website. The teenager escapes with his grandfather (played by Baldwin) when he is sentenced to hang for the death of a local farmer.