The tragic news went around the world: at the end of October, Alec Baldwin (64) shot camerawoman Halyna Hutchins († 42) while filming the cheap western “Rust”. Since then, the case has been under investigation at full speed.
As a US agency for occupational safety and health announced on Wednesday, a fine has now been imposed for lack of safety on the set. The producers of the western “Rust” must therefore now pay the maximum fine of almost 137,000 dollars – the equivalent of almost 130,000 francs.
Tragic incident might have been avoided
A month-long investigation into the fatal shooting on the film’s set in October 2021 has brought to light violations of safety regulations, it said. The authority accuses the producers of disregarding safety protocols for the use of weapons.
For example, there should never have been “live ammunition” at the location or a gun should have been aimed at a person, the investigation report said. The “tragic incident” might have been avoided.
During the shooting of the low-budget western “Rust” on a film ranch in Santa Fe, chief camerawoman Halyna Hutchins (42) was fatally injured and director Joel Souza was hit in the shoulder. Baldwin, who served as lead actor and producer on the film, had used the gun in rehearsal for one scene. Investigations revealed that the Colt had a real bullet lodged in it. Police investigations into how this happened are ongoing. (SDA)