The lawyer of American actor Alec Baldwin reported that the investigation conducted in the state of New Mexico acquitted Baldwin. On the set of the movie “Rust”, the explosion of the gun in Baldwin’s hand caused the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and the injury to Joel Souza.
The New Mexico Department of Occupational Health and Safety has released the findings of its six-month investigation into the incident that occurred last October on the set of the Western movie Rust.
As a result of the investigation, it was stated that the production company of the Rust film that caused the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was determined to be “deliberate” security breaches, and the company was fined a maximum penalty of 137 thousand dollars.
Baldwin’s lawyers said his client’s authority over the production was limited to script changes and casting approval, and stated that he had no authority over the issues the investigation dealt with.
In a statement made by Baldwin’s lawyers and posted on the actor’s Instagram account, it was stated that they appreciated the fact that the report included the actor’s statement that he thought the gun was empty and thus cleared, “We are pleased that the New Mexico authorities have clarified these critical issues.”
Hutchins was killed when the gun Baldwin was holding fired live bullets during a rehearsal, while director Joel Souza was shot in the shoulder.
The New Mexico Department of the Environment said the investigation concluded that the production company was aware that firearm safety procedures were not being followed and showed “clear indifference” to hazards.
Rust Film Production spokesperson Stefan Friedman said in a statement yesterday that the company did not agree with the conclusion of the investigation and plans to appeal.
The investigation concluded that the Rust administration ignored the set workers’ concerns about firearms on set.
The report stated that the Rust administration did not allow sufficient time for personnel responsible for firearms safety to examine the ammunition received and make sure that the guns did not contain live ammunition.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office and the Santa Fe County District Attorney’s forensic investigations into the cinematographer’s death are continuing.