But from what I recall, Baldwin wasn’t in the dark about this, or other corner-cutting steps taken on set that would lead to safety issues. I believe there were already safety concerns (possibly another negligent discharge from a “cold” gun?), and I believe it didn’t lead to the reasonable stop-work and review of policies, culture, and goals.
My work has placed me on heavy industrial and high voltage sites a lot. I’ve seen safe workplaces, and someone’s-going-to-die workplaces. All of those places were what they were because the site management made them that way.
So yep, the armourer only had one job. And by the sounds of things, it might have already been clear she wasn’t doing a good job prior to Halyna Hutchins getting shot. And I believe that this is a problem that people with “Producer” in their job title needed to address, and didn’t.
That seems like a very reasonable take. I seem to recall hearing that she had a very solid apprenticeship and came well recommended, but was still brand new at being the one in charge- Like fresh off what would be the equivalent of trade school.
I’d have a much better opinion of Alec Baldwin if he had accepted what I have always been taught about leadership: the buck stops with you. If he had bluntly stated “I, ultimately as the guy in charge, am responsible and accept the blame for this incident, and will work with the courts and the employees I hired to ensure justice is done and that this sort of thing never happens again under my watch,” well, this would probably be over with just a slap on the wrist for him and he’d be back to making movies without this pall of a lack of integrity hanging over him.
No, that is absolutely not the argument the prosecution is making with these charges. That would be an argument for a wrongful death civil suit, not an involuntary manslaughter charge. That film had multiple producers and executive producers. If the argument was that Baldwin is criminally liable in his capacity as producer, then all of the producers would be charged. Only Baldwin is being charged, and he’s being charged because he was holding the gun that killed Hutchins when it went off. The prosecution is alleging that Baldwin pulled the trigger. Baldwin insists he didn’t. He is not being charged because he was the producer. He’s being charged in his capacity of being the one who was handling the gun when it went off and killed Hutchins.
Note: I am not saying I think he’s guilty, or that I agree with the charges. I am only clarifying that these charges don’t have jack shit to do with the fact that Baldwin is one of the producers of the film.
Count 1:Involuntary Manslaughter (Negligent Use of a Firearm), (0007), on or about October 21, 2021, in Santa Fe County, State of New Mexico, at Bonanza Creek Ranch located at 545 Bonanza Creek Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87508 the above-named defendant did cause the death of Halyna Hutchins in the commission of Negligent Use of a Firearm, and unlawful act, which did not amount to a felony, a fourth degree felony, contrary to NMSA 1978, Section 30-2-3(B) (1994).
Or in the Alternative:
Count 1: Involuntary Manslaughter (Without Due Caution or Circumspection), (0006), on or about October 21, 2021, in Santa Fe County, State of New Mexico, at Bonanza Creek Ranch located at 545 Bonanza Creek Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87508 the above-named defendant did cause the death of Halyna Hutchins by an act committed with the total disregard or indifference for the safety of others, and the act was such that an ordinary person would anticipate that death might occur under the circumstances, a fourth degree felony, contrary to NMSA 1978, Section 30-2-3(B) (1994).
Now, that first count is clearly referencing his firing of the gun. I suppose the second one might have something to do with the safety protocols, or lack thereof, on set, except that it refers to a single act, not multiple acts. If that were referencing Baldwin’s role as producer, and the overall lack of safety on set, I would expect multiple acts and multiple counts on that second theory. I think instead both of these are referring to Baldwin firing the gun. The first one is saying he was negligent in how he used the gun. In other words, he shouldn’t have fired it. The second one, I suspect, is saying that if he wasn’t negligent in firing the gun (because maybe the scene they were rehearsing called for the gun to be fired, blah blah blah), then he’s still criminally liable because he should have personally verified the gun wasn’t loaded with live ammunition. Again, I’m not saying I agree with this charge (although I think I do, depending on what evidence emerges at trial), just that this is how I read these charges.
