First conviction in the case of the fatal shooting on the set of the film “Rust”

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The first assistant director of the film “Rust”, on the set of which actor and producer Alec Baldwin unintentionally killed the cinematographer, was sentenced on Friday to a 6-month suspended sentence with probation after a plea agreement.

This is the first conviction in this case, here for negligence while using a deadly weapon.

It was this first assistant, Dave Halls, who handed Alec Baldwin, on October 21, 2021, a weapon supposed to be loaded with blanks, which the actor had activated, killing Halyna Hutchins and injuring the director, Joel Souza.

Dave Halls, 63, gave him the gun, informing him that it was “cold”, or not dangerous, in Hollywood parlance.

< p>Alec Baldwin, as well as on-set gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, have both been charged with manslaughter and face up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine.

The investigation In particular, the police set out to determine how live ammunition could have been found on this set on a ranch in New Mexico, which is strictly prohibited, precisely to avoid accidents.

Police have concluded that Hannah Gutierrez-Reed put the ammunition in the gun used by Alec Baldwin, instead of a dummy bullet.

Prosecutor Kari Morrissey estimated, during the hearing Friday in a New Mexico court, that Dave Halls, who also assumed the role of security coordinator of the low-budget filming and thus constituted the “last line of defense”, n hadn't “checked every cartridge in the gun to confirm they were blanks”.

64-year-old Alec Baldwin, best known for the “30 Rock” series, has always says he was assured his gun was harmless.

Pleading guilty on Friday, Dave Halls agrees to testify in the matter in the future.

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