A sheriff and a district attorney will hold a press conference Wednesday in Santa Fe, New Mexico, to discuss their investigation into last week's shooting on a film set that led to the death of a crew member.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza and Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies will hold a press conference Wednesday at 10 a.m. MT to discuss their investigation into last Thursday's fatal shooting on the set of "Rust" that led to the death of the film's director of photography, 42-year-old Halyna Hitchens.
The film's director, Joel Souza, was injured during the incident.
In comments to The New York Times on Tuesday, Carmack-Altwies said that her office had not "ruled out anything" and that the potential for criminal charges are "on the table."
Hitchens was killed when actor Alec Baldwin fired a gun while crew members were setting up a scene for the western drama. According to court documents, Baldwin had been told that the gun he was holding was "cold" — meaning it did not contain live ammunition.
In speaking with the Times on Wednesday, Carmack-Altwies took issue with media reports that claimed the gun that was fired during the incident was a "prop gun." She described the weapon as an "antique-era appropriate" "legit gun."
Over the weekend, The Associated Press reported that several crew members on set had raised safety concerns about the production and that seven crew members even walked off set hours before the shooting.
According to The Los Angeles Times, Baldwin's stunt double had accidentally fired two live rounds on set five days before the fatal shooting after being told the gun he was holding did not contain live ammunition.
CNN reports that Dave Halls, the film's assistant director, has faced complaints on other film sets for his disregard for safety protocols.
