Alec Baldwin could yet face charges regarding the discharging of the prop gun that resulted in the death of a director of photography on set, according to reports.
63-year-old Baldwin was filming on the set of his new film “Rust” when he discharged a prop gun that led to the death of 42-year-old director of photography Halyna Hutchins and the injuring of director Joel Souza, 48.
Early reports from the incident have suggested that it was a terrible accident, but with details still unclear as to what actually went wrong, certain sources are speculating that people might face criminal charges.
As per USA Today, Neama Rahmani of the personal injury firm West Coast Trial Lawyers, said: “There are some circumstances where even a prop gun with a blank can be dangerous if it’s shot within close range.
“Let’s say it was loaded with a blank, but Baldwin himself was criminally negligent and shot it from close range, even though it wasn’t a live round. Then he could be held liable.”
She added: “Assuming it was just incompetence or a colossal mistake, that rises to the level of criminal negligence, which would be sufficient for a manslaughter prosecution.”
Rachel Fiset, managing partner of Los Angeles firm Zweiback, Fiset & Coleman, meanwhile explained that the issue is larger than Baldwin alone.
“Proper compliance with safety issues on the set will be a large, general question that will be asked that may have a huge impact on any potential legal matters that may come from this case,” she said.
“And then on the worst side of the scale, you could have potential criminal issues that would range from criminal negligence to intentional acts that may have caused this tragedy.”
One thing that looks certain beyond any doubt is that there will be lawsuits. As per The Wrap, Richard Kaplan, criminal defense attorney, explained: “The family will pursue the civil side, but the question is how much does the family pursue the criminal side.”
Jamie White, also an attorney, said: “If Baldwin or another person was negligent, a civil suit is almost a no-brainer at this point — a very high likelihood.
“But the criminal side is going to be very fact-sensitive. Only if someone was recklessly negligent would there be criminal consequences. We see criminal negligence charges when people leave kids in hot cars, when they are recklessly driving. It’s too early to know that this will happen to Baldwin, but it’s not unheard of.”
As per CNN, director Joul Souza, who was shot and taken to hospital, told authorities that Baldwin had been practising drawing his gun when the weapon discharged.
Rest in peace, Halyna Hutchins. Our thoughts go out to this woman’s family at such a terrible time.
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