Alec Baldwin Shooting Investigation Just Completed A Crucial Step
Some key evidence was just turned in regarding the tragic shooting on the set of the Alec Baldwin movie Rust.
This article is more than 2 years old
It’s now been almost 10 months since the tragic and deadly accident on the set of Rust back in October of last year. The discharge of a weapon being held by Alec Baldwin resulted in the death of the movie’s cinematographer Halyna Hutchins with the director Joel Souza being injured as well. While the movie was shut down permanently and authorities have been investigating what exactly happened that day, it appears the case has reached a critical next step in determining how something like this could happen while filming. According to Deadline, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department has finally received the forensic reports from the FBI and they are now in the hands of the New Mexico Medical Investigator’s office who will work to finalize the investigation.
What these forensic reports could conclude about the Rust shooting isn’t totally clear. Ultimately they will be sent to the District Attorney’s office who will determine if any charges need to be filed against Alec Baldwin or anyone else involved with the movie’s production. There are a number of different possibilities where this incident is concerned and clearly, there was something that happened (or didn’t happen) on the set that could allow for such a tragic incident to go down. According to an OSHA investigation into the incident, safety rules were “willful violated” and the production “demonstrated plain indifference to employee safety”. Alec Baldwin has contended that this report from OSHA has exonerated him in the matter.
In addition to the forensic evidence in the Rust shooting, it appears that investigators are still working to obtain phone records from Alec Baldwin to help complete their case. It’s unclear what kind of information they are seeking with this request though apparently, this is one of the final pieces they needed to review before moving forward. There’s an expectation once that piece is complete and the forensic evidence is completed then things will begin moving forward if need be. Charges could be filed at that point.
A number of different lawsuits have been brought against Alec Baldwin, producers of the film, and others in what is likely to be a legal and litigious web that last years. One of them was filed by the Hutchins family who is naming Alec Baldwin, armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, and others in a wrongful death suit. Hannah Gutierrez-Reed has filed a suit against an armorer company and some folks on the film crew have also filed suits. It’s all a tragic mess.
On October 21, 2021 while on the set of Rust, a live round was discharged from a gun being held by Alec Baldwin as a prop for the Western movie. The bullet struck Hutchins and Souza as well. It is being reported that the safety measures being employed on the set regarding firearms were not up to code. And there are conflicting reports about how Baldwin came to be holding the loaded gun at all. This is still an ongoing investigation though more clarity could be on its way sooner than later.
