Alec Baldwin Rust shooting: The questions that need answers

It was the accidental movie death that shocked the world but after Alec Baldwin shot and killed his cinematographer, these questions need answers.

There are many unanswered questions about the movie set shooting of Halyna Hutchins by the film's star and producer Alec Baldwin. Picture: Getty Images/National Geographic

The fatal prop gun accident that happened on the set of the Alec Baldwin vehicle Rust is not the first of its kind.

In 1984, heart-throb Jon-Erik Hexum, 26, shot himself in the head with a prop gun loaded with blanks and died from injuries caused by the casing entering his skull while on set of the TV series Cover Up.

Brandon Bruce Lee, actor and son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, died of a gunshot wound on the set of The Crow in 1993. Little did Lee or his co-star Michael Massee know that the tip of a .44-calibre bullet had been lodged in the barrel of the prop gun weeks prior.

And Gold Coast stuntman Johann Ofner was killed on the Brisbane set of a Bliss N Eso music video in 2017 when he was shot in the chest with a double-barrel shotgun.

Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died after being shot with a prop gun by Alec Baldwin. Picture: Instagram

As police investigate how Hollywood star and film producer Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun that killed his cinematographer Halyn Hutchins and wounded his director Joel Souza, there are numerous questions as to why such a tragedy could occur again. Here are our key questions:

Prop guns are used frequently in movie shoots and have caused deaths before, even though there are strict protocols for their use. Picture: AFP

1. WHAT TYPE OF GUN WAS IT AND WHY WAS IT LOADED?

According to the Daily Mail the gun was a vintage Colt pistol, manufactured in the late 1800s. Rust is set in the 1880s.

Juan Rios, a spokesman for the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said that detectives are currently investigating what type of projectile discharged from the gun used by Baldwin, as well as how firearm safety was handled on the set.

The Sheriff’s Office told Deadline that claims the gun contained a live round had not yet been proven.

“That hasn’t been determined by us as of yet,” Rios said.

A prop workers’ union based in Los Angeles said their reference to the gun being “live” was the industry term for a gun loaded with any type of material.

2. HOW CAN A SINGLE SHOT FROM A PROP GUN HIT TWO PEOPLE?

The Los Angeles Times reported that when Bladwin pulled the gun out of a holster twice in preparation for the scene, the second time the gun discharged ammunition, and the projectile penetrated Halyna Hutchins near her shoulder and continued into director Joel Souza’s shoulder.

The prop gun Alec Baldwin was handed was declared “cold,” meaning crew had assessed that it was not loaded and yet it somehow fired a projectile that was fatal. Picture: AFP

3. WHY WAS ALEC BALDWIN HANDED A “LIVE” GUN?

The AP reported that court records show Baldwin was told before the fatal shooting that the gun had no ammunition and had been informed the gun was “cold” or not loaded.

4. WHO IS IN CHARGE OF FIREARM SAFETY ON SET AND HOW DID THEY GET IT WRONG?

The film’s armourer, the term for a person in charge of firearms used on set, was Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 24.

According to court records she set three guns on a cart outside of the area where the scene was being filmed in a church.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed laid out the prop guns on the day of the shooting. Picture: Instagram

Assistant director Dave Halls said the gun that killed Hutchins was not loaded. Picture: IMDB

Assistant Director Dave Halls then brought one of the guns to Baldwin not knowing that it would discharge a projectile when fired.

He said that the weapon was a “cold gun.”

Industry safety bulletins for the use of guns on set warn that blank ammunition can still kill and that all guns on set are to be treated “as though they are loaded.”

Alec Baldwin and Halyna Hutchins (circled) are pictured together on the set of Rust. There had been labour unrest on the set leading up to the shooting. Picture: Instagram

5. WHAT HAPPENED ON THE SET OF RUST LEADING UP TO THE ACCIDENT?

The Los Angeles Times reported that six of the film’s camera crew walked off the set earlier on the same day of the shooting.

The crew were reportedly protesting conditions of working on the film including travel time, long hours, and pay.

Hutchins had reportedly called for better conditions for her crew but on the day of the walk-off, the production hired non-union camera workers to replace those who went on strike.

“Corners were being cut,” one crew member said.

The Times also reported that the prop gun that caused the accident had previously misfired twice on 16 October, and another time prior to that.

Just hours before the shooting, Alec Baldwin said filming was “exhausting” in a since deleted post.

6. COULD ALEC BALDWIN BE CHARGED WITH ANYTHING?

Baldwin is a producer on the film. He has been questioned by investigators and released and no charges have been filed in the incident.

Baldwin has said he is “fully co-operating with the police investigation.”

According to the Sheriff’s Office he is a “free man.”

In the case of The Crow, the district attorney on the case investigating the death of Brandon Bruce Lee did not bring negligent homicide charges against the film’s production company.

It is not known why Baldwin was pointing the gun directly at his crew, which is not recommended by armourers. Picture: Instagram

7. WHY WAS BALDWIN POINTING THE GUN AT CREW MEMBERS?

According to The Sun, Mike Tristano, a California-based professional armourer told BBC Radio, “You never point a gun at a crew member … Whenever we set up a shot on set … we actually give the actor an aiming point to fire the gun at so he knows he’s firing in a safe position.”

8. WAS THE ACCIDENT FILMED AND WILL THE FILM BE FINISHED?

It has not been revealed if the scene was just being rehearsed or if the cameras were rolling when the shooting occurred.

Police have asked for additional evidence such as footage or video captured of the lead up to and during the incident.

Access to the set of Rust has been restricted but it is not yet know if the production has been shut down.

The film’s production company is to launch an internal safety review after the fatal accident.

Originally published as Alec Baldwin Rust shooting: The questions that need answers