After the death of the camerawoman Halyna Hutchins, allegations were made against a gun master. Now the accused defends herself.
Santa Fe – After the death of a camerawoman while shooting a film with Hollywood star Alec Baldwin, the gun master defends herself against allegations of negligence on the set. The 24-year-old had her lawyers told US media that they had “no idea” where the live ammunition that Baldwin accidentally used to shoot the camerawoman Halyna Hutchins came from.
In addition to Hutchins, Baldwin also met director Joel Souza on the set of the western “Rust” at a film ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico on October 21, 2021. Souza, who was hit in the shoulder by the bullet, was recently released from hospital. The tragedy happened when Alec Baldwin fired a gun during rehearsal for a scene that contained live ammunition instead of the usual blank cartridges.
Before that, there should have been tumultuous scenes on the set. According to various US media, several employees left the set to protest against inadequate safety standards. The armorer, for her part, complained about unsafe working conditions. “The entire set became unsafe due to various factors, including the lack of security briefing,” quoted the Los Angeles Times and NBC News from their lawyers’ letters. It went on to say that this was not the weapon master’s fault.
Tragedy about Alec Baldwin and camerawoman: armorer defends herself
The 24-year-old was hired for two different tasks, so it was extremely difficult for her to focus on her work as an armorer. In addition, she has tried in vain for more time to train the actors, maintain the guns and prepare shooting scenes. Because of the death of the camerawoman, the young woman was “devastated” and stood completely beside herself, it was said. Sheriff Mendoza criticized NBC News that the gun master’s statement was of little help and raised “more questions than she answers.”
A director’s assistant, who probably jumped in at short notice, admitted to the investigating authorities that he had not strictly followed the safety precautions and that he had only incompletely checked the weapon. The previous investigations had shown that there was a real bullet in the Colt used as a prop. Sheriff Adan Mendoza, entrusted with the investigation, told the US media with regard to the handling of weapons: “I think there was a certain carelessness on this set.” (Msc with dpa)
