Here is a soap opera that should fascinate Hollywood and the planet for many months.
The investigation into the death Thursday of a director of photography in the United States, killed by an accidental shooting of Alec Baldwin during the filming of a western, continued on Saturday by focusing on two people: the gunsmith and the assistant director of the film.
Hit in the chest, according to a preliminary investigation report cited by the local press, Halyna Hutchins was transported by helicopter to hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The director of the film "Rust", Joel Souza, suffered a shoulder injury during the shooting and is recovering.
An inexperienced gunsmith
The role of film gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez Reed, 24, comes under close scrutiny by investigators as she was the one who, according to the same report, had prepared the gun with which the actor fired the shot fatal.
She had placed it on a cart with two other weapons.
According to the Hollywood site TMZ, the young woman had only recently accepted a position as chief gunsmith and confided that she had real doubts about the exercise of this profession.
Hannah Reed, is the daughter of Thell Reed, a very experienced Hollywood gunsmith who previously worked on "Django: Unchained", "3:10 to Yuma" and "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood".
The set technician took part in the “Voices of the West” podcast last month to talk about her new experiences in the field.
Hannah Reed then explained to the hosts that she had just finished a western movie with Nic Cage called "The Old Way" and that it was only the first time that she was a chief gunsmith on a film.
Speaking about her training, Hannah Reed told podcast hosts that loading blank bullets into prop guns was "the scariest thing for her," because "she didn't know how to do it." it was something that “her father had helped her overcome” and then it had gone well.
The assistant did not "know that the weapon was loaded with live ammunition"
Assistant director Dave Halls, described as a seasoned professional, then handed this weapon to Alec Baldwin during a rehearsal for a scene in the film, informing him that she was "cold", that is. say unloaded with a real bullet in cinematic lingo.
Mr. Halls “didn't know the gun was loaded with live ammunition,” said Agent Joel Cano of the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office in New Mexico.
Standard industry safety protocols, including weapon inspections, were not strictly followed on the set of "Rust" near Santa Fe, according to sources revealed by the Los Angeles Time.
They added that at least one of the cameramen complained last weekend to a production manager about gun safety on set.
No prosecution for the moment
But neither are currently under prosecution, a spokesperson for the sheriff confirmed on Friday.
Prosecutor Mary Carmack-Altwies had also indicated in a statement “not to know” at this stage of the investigation if “prosecutions would be initiated”.
The accidental thesis is always privileged, Alec Baldwin remained at liberty after being questioned by the police.
Another element of the investigation, the phone call from a woman member of the team to the emergency number of the emergency services (911) also seems to confirm the existence of tensions at the filming site.
Six members of the film's technical crew had left the set, according to the Los Angeles Times, several hours before the drama to protest their working conditions.
Information also mentioned by TMZ.
Asked by the operator of 911 on the presence of live ammunition in the weapon, this unidentified woman answered thus, according to the recording made public by the Albuquerque Journal: "I can not tell you ... And this motherfucker of 'assistant director who yelled at me at lunch, (…) he's supposed to check the guns, he's responsible for what happens on the set.
Alec Baldwin, the strategy of silence
For star Alec Baldwin, the strategy is to say as little as possible and express compassion on social media.
"Words fail me to express my amazement and my sadness after the tragic accident which killed Halyna Hutchins", the 63-year-old actor had tweeted on Friday, ensuring "to cooperate fully in the investigation".
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There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours.
I'm fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred and
- AlecBaldwin (HABF) (@AlecBaldwin) October 22, 2021
On the night of Friday to Saturday, the comedian also retweeted an article from Variety whose title indicates that he had been "informed that the weapon-accessory was safe before the fatal shot", without adding a comment.
The film "Rust", which has been suspended indefinitely, is a western written and directed by Joel Souza.
Alec Baldwin, co-producer of the film, takes the lead role of an outlaw who fled with his 13-year-old grandson when the latter was sentenced, following an accidental homicide, to hanging for murder.
Tragic irony.
Alec Baldwin, whose film career has been on the rise for many years, has made himself particularly popular in the United States in recent years by his imitations of Donald Trump on the famous satirical show "Saturday Night Live".
His reputation, also tarnished by a very acrimonious divorce in the early 2000s, was boosted at the end of the decade by the success of the comic series "30 Rock", where he played a studio boss opposite Tina Fey, who had him. won two Emmy Awards, equivalent to the Oscars for American television.
The victim, rising star of cinema
Halyna Hutchins, born in Ukraine and living in Los Angeles, was considered a rising star of American cinema.
She had grown up in a Soviet military base in the Arctic Circle, according to her website.
Her husband, Matt Hutchins, who confirmed to CBS that Alec Baldwin had contacted him and had shown "great support", tweeted the "immense loss" of his wife.
“Halyna was an inspiration to all of us,” he wrote.
Halyna inspired us all with her passion and vision, and her legacy is too meaningful to encapsulate in words.
Our loss is enormous, and we ask that the media please respect my family's privacy as we process our grief.
We thank everyone for sharing images and stories of her life.
pic.twitter.com/LgEp4XVkja
- Matt Hutchins (@mhutchins) October 23, 2021
