The investigation is still ongoing but speculation is rife.
Two weeks after the tragedy on the set of the film
Rust
, which claimed the life of Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza, the hypothesis of sabotage still hangs in the air.
To read also Fatal shot of Alec Baldwin: the lawyers of the gunsmith evoke a possible "sabotage"
Asked by
NBC News
last week, the lawyers for the film gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez-Reed did not hesitate to mention a set-up.
"We assume that someone must have put the actual ammunition in this box
." In particular, they exploit a two-hour window during which the security around the weapons was light, to say the least.
“We know there were live bullets in a dummy bullet box, which shouldn't have been there. We have people who had left the set because they were unhappy. There was a time between 11 am and 1 pm or so, when the guns were sometimes left unattended that day. There was therefore the possibility of tampering with the scene, ”
explained one of the lawyers.
The lunch break raises questions
During these few hours of lunch break, which seem to be at the heart of this tragedy, the professionals chained negligence, according to the gunsmith Frédéric Cauvy.
“During the lunch break, the weapons must be locked in the vehicle, in a dedicated safe, the cartridges stored next to them, they are not left on a table, never!
Or we take our lunch break next to the table if there is a lot of material, ”
judged the gunsmith on the set of
BFM TV
.
Read also Bruce Lee's daughter pleads for training of actors in the handling of weapons
Negligence with tragic consequences, but nothing to indicate sabotage.
“Filming with unattended weapons is not okay.
That real cartridges are put in, that doesn't work either.
That this weapon can fire these real cartridges, it is not possible
, estimates it near the news channel.
The gunsmith and the assistant director at the heart of suspicion
Main implicated in this case, the 24-year-old gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, and assistant director Dave Halls, who gave the lethal weapon to Alec Baldwin. The latter had already been pinned for his very rough handling of guns on the set of the Hulu series,
Into The Dark,
two years ago. During this filming, Dave Halls would not have followed any safety protocol in the handling of weapons, as
The Guardian
explained a few days ago
. A set of testimonies that made the Santa Fe County Sheriff say that there was a
"certain carelessness on the film set"
, during a press conference.
To read also In his first interview since the drama, Alec Baldwin ensures that "the shooting of
Rust will
not resume"
Alec Baldwin broke his silence last week.
Deeply moved by this episode, he confided his sadness to an audience of journalists, regretting the death of his friend Halyna Hutchins, whom he considered
"a member of his
family".
Before concluding, devastated
: "There was
a one in a trillion chance that this would happen
."