Before the Hollywood Tragedy: An "Intriguing Incident" That Turned the Tables

Prosecutors have stated that the possibility of criminal charges in the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the film "Rust" is still on the table. These comments, reported by the New York Times, came after new information revealed that the film's production team used actor Alec Baldwin's weapon to fire live rounds at cans on set just hours before the tragic incident. Legal documents show that Baldwin aimed the firearm at the camera filming the movie's events during a rehearsal prior to the actual shooting, which resulted in Hutchins' death and serious injuries to director Joel Souza. The documents indicated that Baldwin was handed a firearm and was told it did not contain real bullets, raising questions of negligence. Santa Fe County District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies stated that criminal charges in the incident have not been ruled out. She added that the firearm used in the incident was legal and was not the prop gun that fires blank rounds. The film's assistant director, Dave Halls, had informed the crew that the gun Baldwin would be using was "cold," a term filmmakers use to indicate that a prop gun is safe to use and not loaded with live ammunition. The district attorney noted that "a huge amount of ammunition" was found on set, indicating a need for an investigation into the nature of that ammunition. Reports indicated that the gun used by the 63-year-old actor to accidentally kill Hutchins had been used by the crew to fire live rounds at empty cans just hours before the incident as a means of passing time. The firearm training session with live ammunition was unauthorized.