Share this @internewscast.com

Actor Alec Baldwin shot director of photography Halnya Hutchins during rehearsal when a prop gun was loaded with live ammunition. The state occupational safety board blames the production company managers for creating ‘unsafe working conditions.’

The New Mexico Environment Department’s Occupational Health and Safety Bureau has leveled a nearly $137,000 fine against the production company of the movie “Rust” over the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on set last October.

Environment Cabinet Secretary James Kenney put the blame squarely on Rust Movie Productions, saying the “tragic incident never would have happened” had the company and its managers “followed national film industry standards for firearm safety.”

“This is a complete failure of the employer to follow recognized national protocols that keep employees safe,” Kenney said.

Actor Alec Baldwin, also one of the producers of the movie western, was handling the gun — which was loaded with a live round — during a rehearsal on the set at the Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe, as CrimeOnline previously reported. While Baldwin has insisted he didn’t pull the trigger and gun “went off,” it did fire, striking director of photography Halnya Hutchins and the film’s director, Joel Souza. Hutchins was killed.

The bureau completed its investigation of the incident and released its results on Wednesday, saying it had levied “the highest level of citation and maximum fine allowable by state law” because the company’s “plain indifference” to the hazards involved with using firearms on set “resulted in a fatality, severe injury, and unsafe working conditions.”

The report cited the company for violating eight guidelines to firearm safety on set, including allowing live ammunition to be brought onto the set, failing to have safety meetings on every day that firearms were being handled, and allowing employees to point the firearm at other without proper consultations.

Managers — including 1st assistant director and safety coordinator Dave Halls, unit production manager Row Walters, and line producer Gabrielle Pickles — failed to do any follow-up after three previous misfires on set and directed the movie’s armorer, Hannah Guttierez-Reed, to focus more of her attention on props management than firearm safety.

Rust Movie Productions has 15 business days to pay the $136,793 civil penalty and provide proof of corrective measures taken or to contest the decision.

The bureau’s report is not related to a criminal investigation into the shooting, which is still ongoing.

For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast.

[Featured image: Alec Baldwin/AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File and Halnya Hutchins/Instagram]

Source: This post first appeared on

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

Arizona Tragedy: Couple Fatally Attacked Over Classic Car, 8-Year-Old Grandson Present

A 21-year-old man from Arizona was handed a significant prison term last…

Actor to Challenge ‘Mathematical Formula’ of Nazi Salute in Court Case

Former television soap star Damien Richardson may question the “mathematical formula” of…

Police report: Man allegedly shoots wife in her bedroom over claims of ‘disrespect’

Background: News footage from Plainfield, Ind. where Evelie LaCroix was discovered deceased…

Trump Administration Requests 9th Circuit Court’s Approval for Immigration Arrests

President Donald Trump addresses the media while departing the White House on…

Police Report: Man Allegedly Kills Rival Over Car Seat Installation

Left: Demontra Collins (Hamilton County Jail). Right: Jamel Sutton (Hardwick Funeral Home).…

Father’s Urgent Quest: Is Ava Grace, 6-Year-Old TikTok Star, Missing?

Social media is buzzing with intrigue as conspiracy theories suggest that Ava…

Breaking News: Hollywood Executive’s Son Accused of Murdering Family Found Dead in Jail Cell

A California man who was charged with murdering and dismembering his wife…

Shooter Kills 2 and Injures 2 in Kentucky Church Following State Trooper Attack

A Kentucky mother and daughter were killed and their husbands injured on…

Cops Say Parents’ Baby with Gas Symptoms Had Broken Ribs and Bleeding Eyes

Insets: Lindsey Davis and MacQuell Davis (Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The…

Visitor to Appear in Court Following Deadly E-Scooter Incident While Intoxicated

An English backpacker accused of fatally colliding with a beloved father of…

Justice Sotomayor Criticizes SCOTUS Education Department Decision

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, left, converses with President Donald Trump, right,…

Mother Attends Court in Support of Police Officer Son as Double-Murder Trial Is Postponed

The mother of a former police officer accused of murdering two men…