New Mexico fines Alec Baldwin's Rust team for safety lapse that led to the fatal shooting of Helena Hutchins
New Mexico on Wednesday fined Rust Movie Productions LLC for an "intentional" security lapse that led to the fatal shooting of Helena Hutchins during the filming of the Alec Baldwin-starrer Rust last year, Reuters reported.
An investigation by the state's worker safety agency, which fined the company $137,000, found the production firm was aware that firearms safety procedures were not being followed and hazards, the New Mexico Department of the Environment said in a statement. Demonstrated "plain indifference" towards
"This tragic event would never have happened if Rust Movie Productions, LLC had followed national film industry standards for firearms safety," Environment Cabinet Secretary James Kenney said in the news release.
Hutchins was killed in October when actor and producer Alec Baldwin was rehearsing with a revolver during filming in New Mexico, which shot him and film director Joel Souza.
Souza was injured but survived.
"While we appreciate OSHA's time and effort in its investigation, we disagree with its findings and plan to appeal," Rust Movie Productions spokesman Stephen Friedman said in a statement Wednesday.
The Work Safety Agency of New Mexico administers the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) program.
Its six-month investigation found that Rust management, including line producer Gabrielle Pickle and unit production manager Roe Walters, ignored concerns raised by crew members about firearms and pyrotechnic misfires on set.
It said assistant director and security coordinator Dave Hall observed the casualty leave but took no corrective action.
3rd Shift Media, a Georgia-based production company that lists Pickles and Roe as employees, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Hall's attorney did not respond to a request for comment.
The report stated that corrosion management failed to give sufficient time to firearms safety personnel responsible for inspecting received ammunition to ensure that no live rounds were present.
The investigation found that Hannah Gutierrez, who was responsible for firearms safety, was told to focus less on her tasks as set armor and spend more time helping the props department.
When she said the actors needed firearm safety training, Gutierrez was told that she would be informed if necessary, the report said.
Gutierrez's lawyers said in a statement that OSHA found it "was not given sufficient time or resources to conduct its work effectively."
Baldwin has denied responsibility for Hutchins' death and said that live rounds should never have been allowed on set.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office and the Santa Fe County District Attorney are under criminal investigation into the cinematographer's death. - Reuters