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 Tuesday the sheriff supervising the investigations.
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”. The investigators are waiting in particular for the ballistic report from the FBI, 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.
The footage was included in a body of evidence released by the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Department as part of its ongoing investigation into the shooting.
A newly released video shows the moment Alec Baldwin learned that Halyna Hutchins had died after being accidentally shot with a gun on the set of “Rust” last October.
The scene at 1h11 minutes:
“I have very bad news for you“, said a policewoman to the actor.
“Quoi ?“, Baldwin replies.
“She didn’t make it out“, she announces.
Baldwin, visibly stunned, freezes for an excruciating 24 seconds.
The Inspector tells her that there is still hope for director Joel Souza, who was also injured in the shooting and ultimately survived.
“I want to call my wife“, said a distraught Baldwin.
Moments later, Baldwin was pictured crying in the parking lot as he spoke to Hilaria, who was at home in New York caring for their six children.
The footage was included in a body of evidence released by the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Department as part of its ongoing investigation into the shooting.
These documents include a video showing Alec Baldwin rehearsing the scene in which cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, was shot. 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.
This is “one of the key issues” in the investigation, Sheriff Mendoza said Tuesday, adding that “no one has come to us to admit having introduced ammunition on 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”. 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.