"Baldwin Shooting Incident, Criminal Prosecution Possibility Cannot Be Ruled Out"

Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin [Photo by AP]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] It has been reported that U.S. prosecutors are even considering the possibility of criminal charges against Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin in connection with the death of a crew member caused by a prop gun Baldwin fired during a film shoot.

The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 26th (local time) that "Mary Carmack-Altwies, the Santa Fe County District Attorney, said she would not rule out criminal charges in this incident."

The police initially judged the incident as an accidental accident and did not apply criminal charges to Baldwin or director Joel Souza, who handed him the gun. On the other hand, prosecutors have taken a cautious stance on whether to indict, stating that they have been analyzing evidence at the scene from the beginning.

District Attorney Carmack-Altwies said, "It is not appropriate to refer to the gun used by Baldwin as a 'prop gun,'" adding, "It was a real gun." However, she did not specify exactly what kind of gun Baldwin used.

She added, "There were numerous bullets on the movie set at the time, and it is necessary to identify what types of bullets they were," and said, "The investigation is focusing on confirming the types of bullets that were loaded."

Baldwin was filming the Western movie Rust, set in 19th-century New Mexico, at a ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on the 21st. During a rehearsal, he fired a gun, and cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was on the opposite side, was shot and died.

Questions are increasing about how live ammunition was loaded into the problematic gun. According to director Joel Souza, before the accident, assistant director Dave Halls handed the gun to Baldwin, saying it was a "cold gun." A cold gun means a prop gun loaded with blanks and no live bullets.

Entertainment media TMZ reported the previous day that the crew members used the gun outside the set for recreational purposes. It has been suggested that the tragedy may have occurred because the crew did not properly check whether the chamber was empty after use.

District Attorney Carmack-Altwies said, "That has not been confirmed." She added, "There are many witnesses, and authorities are carefully investigating by applying ballistic and forensic methods."

Some analysts suggest that Baldwin could become embroiled in legal responsibility. Especially as testimonies about safety regulation issues on the set continue to emerge, it is expected that the Rust production team, including Baldwin, will not be able to avoid civil and criminal liability.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.