Alec Baldwin’s Uncertain Future After the Tragic Death of Halyna Hutchins 》

Alec Baldwin has had a long and distinguished Hollywood career, charming us in roles ranging from Beetlejuice to 30 Rock and beyond. However, the future of that career may be in danger after the tragic death of Halyna Hutchins.

Hutchins was the director of photography on Rust, a movie in which Alec Baldwin, 63, is both a producer and star. Hutchins died on Oct. 21 when a prop gun Baldwin was holding discharged while he was rehearsing a scene. The gun should have been loaded with blanks, but was actually loaded with live ammunition. This has kicked off a series of debates about gun safety on film sets and whether or not Baldwin should assume any responsibility.

But what happened in those fatal moments, and how did Baldwin react? And what criminal and legal consequences might he face for this unthinkable tragedy? Here is everything you need to know.

The unsafe set of ‘Rust’

In the aftermath of this tragedy, many fans have been asking a single question: how could this have happened?

Alec Baldwin had no way of knowing the gun was loaded. In fact, CNN reports that when assistant director David Halls handed Baldwin the weapon, he told the star it was a “cold gun.” In movie lingo, that means that the weapon does not have any live rounds of ammunition.

However, it turned out there were actually live rounds in the gun. When Baldwin pulled the trigger, he ended up injuring director Joel Souza and killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42. Hutchins was married with a nine-year-old son and seemed to have a promising career ahead of her.

It seems this tragedy could have been avoided if better safety protocols had been followed, and there are allegations of previous unsafe incidents on set. CNN reported that Baldwin’s stunt double had accidentally fired live rounds earlier in the week on set after also being handed a weapon and told it was a “cold gun,” making this tragedy part of a seeming pattern of unsafe behavior on set.

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Alec Baldwin responds to the tragedy

Needless to say, Alec Baldwin was horrified by the entire affair. And he addressed the incident on Oct. 22 on Twitter, later posting screenshots of his tweets to Instagram:

“There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours,” Baldwin wrote. “I’m fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred and I am in touch with her husband, offering my support to him and his family. My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna.”

These initial tweets were not controversial. In fact, they seemed typical of anyone offering thoughts and prayers after a tragic death. However, on Nov. 2, Baldwin made a series of seven posts that generated immense fan backlash.