The judicial investigation into the death of a filmmaker, fatally injured on the set of the western "
Rust
" by a revolver handled by actor Alec Baldwin, "
is coming to an end
", said the sheriff supervising the investigations on Tuesday.
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According to Adan Mendoza, the sheriff of Santa Fe County (New Mexico) where the tragedy took place on October 21, it is now only a matter of "
weeks
".
FBI report expected
Investigators are awaiting in particular the ballistic report from the FBI, the federal police responsible for analyzing the fatal bullet and the revolver that fired it, as well as all the conclusions of the autopsy, he explained to ABC television.
Sheriff Mendoza made this announcement as his services have just made public the numerous elements collected by the police over the past six months, including videos, photos and more than 200 pages of depositions.
Among these documents is in particular a video showing Alec Baldwin rehearsing the scene during which the cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, was hit.
Live ammunition on set
On the images, we see the actor in cowboy clothes, practicing to draw a revolver which he points in the direction of the camera, but not the moment when the fatal blow leaves.
Another video shows Alec Baldwin shortly after the tragedy, visibly in shock when the police called to the scene come to meet him.
Alec Baldwin has always said he was assured his gun was harmless and claims he never pulled the trigger when the fatal shot was fired.
In particular, the police are looking to find out how live ammunition could have been found on the set, which is in theory strictly prohibited, precisely to avoid accidents.
Breaches of safety rules
This is “
one of the key questions
” of the investigation, Sheriff Mendoza said on Tuesday, adding that “
no one came to us to admit to having introduced ammunition on the set
”.
No arrests have been made in this case but criminal proceedings are not excluded in the event that responsibilities are established.
An administrative investigation conducted in parallel by the authorities of New Mexico has highlighted numerous breaches of safety rules on the set of "
Rust
".
That investigation concluded last week that the film's producers, including Alec Baldwin, "
showed a clear disregard for the risks associated with firearms
" and thus neglected "crew
safety
".
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As a result, authorities imposed a civil fine of $136,793 on the producers, the maximum amount allowed by law.
Halyna Hutchins' family has filed suit against Alec Baldwin and the film's producers, and several other civil suits have also been filed.
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