Alec Baldwin
US actor will hand over his cell phone to the authorities
Is Alec Baldwin to blame for the ‘Rust’ set tragedy?
© Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Alec Baldwin gives in: After a search warrant, the actor will now voluntarily hand over his cell phone to the authorities.
It was a long back and forth, but now the US actor Alec Baldwin (63) seems to be giving in: As reported by the New York Times, his lawyer Aaron Dyer announced that his client’s smartphone will now be handed over to the authorities after all. After a seizure and search warrant by the authorities, the US actor initially refused to hand over his cell phone. After the public criticism of the investigating sheriff in the US County of Santa Fe, there is now a rethink.
Alec Baldwin is currently facing charges of manslaughter, among other things. The investigators want to clarify to what extent he is partly to blame for the tragedy in October 2021 on the set of his western “Rust”. There, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died at the age of 42 after a bullet discharged from a prop gun in Baldwin’s hands. Director Joel Souza (48) was also hit and had to be treated in the hospital.
How could Alec Baldwin have been guilty?
The focus of the current investigation: How could it happen that a real bullet was in the gun? Should Baldwin have controlled the gun? Or could he rely on the testimonies of his assistants that the revolver was safe? However, Baldwin may also have breached general due diligence requirements, since as a producer he could be held responsible for general safety on set.
It has been rumored in numerous media outlets that Baldwin is not cooperating sufficiently with the authorities to possibly delay the investigation. However, it was heard from those around him that he only had concerns that intimate things such as photos or love letters could become public. His lawyer cleared up the allegations: “Since this tragic accident, Mr. Baldwin has always cooperated with the authorities, any contrary impression is simply wrong.”