How Can An Actor Possibly Be Culpable For This Death?

[ToraToraTora]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68038106

An actor is given what he must believe is a prop gun, fires it, kills someone. Prosecute the person who gave him the gun, maybe, but the actor? I just don't get it.

[pastafreak]

// Their one-count indictment was issued on Friday under two alternative legal theories - that Mr Baldwin was either negligent in his use of a firearm or that he acted with "total disregard or indifference for the safety of others" //

How can that ^^^^ be so if the weapon was supposed to be empty. Whether he pulled the trigger or not...he would not have expected there to be actual bullets in it. 

So, who loaded the gun?

[naomi24]

Dreadful situation - and if what he's saying is true I feel very sorry for him indeed - but someone is dead, another was injured, and that has to be investigated.

[Peter Pedant]

the actor is the director as well isnt he?

The actor gets awau with it if he is the agent ( or sortta ardo matic clicker) - he isnt of course ( automatic clicker) and bears some responsibility for his vol actions

anyway v impt for civil liability...

[Peter Pedant]

with "total disregard or indifference for the safety of others" //

I think that is our 'reckless' - that is enough for manslaughter ( catchily called 'reckless mansalughter'

ordinary negligence is not enough ( in English Law)

[royfromaus]

What I don't get is Baldwin denies he pulled the trigger of the gun.

 

[drmorgans]

 

Alec Baldwin was a producer of Rust, not director

 

[royfromaus]

Co-producer

[THECORBYLOON]

He denied pulling the trigger and claimed he pulled back only the hammer but forensic tests proved the trigger must have been pulled for it to fire.

If he had a prop capable of firing live rounds, why did he not take actions to be 100% sure it contained only blanks?

 

[ToraToraTora]

Doesn't matter whether he's producer, director etc, it doesn't not matter that he pulled the trigger. He was an actor in the scene given a prop gun, he is entitled to trust that the prop people did their job as he was about to do his. Only in America could he possibly be culpable.

[THECORBYLOON]

If it happened in England, would gross negligence manslaughter not be possible?

[THECORBYLOON]

TORATORATORA, if you were given a loaded gun, telt the bullets were blanks and you had to fire it at one of your children, you'd not bother checking? 

[royfromaus]

 He was an actor in the scene given a prop gun, he is entitled to trust that the prop people did their job as he was about to do his.

______________________________--

He was ultimately in charge.

He should have sacked some of the cowboys (forgive the pun) working on the set before this fatal shooting happened.

[drmorgans]

 

As co-producer would he share responsibility with others?

 

[douglas9401]

Don't point guns at folk then nothing bad will happen.

[naomi24]

//He was an actor in the scene given a prop gun, he is entitled to trust that the prop people did their job as he was about to do his. Only in America could he possibly be culpable.//

 

Perhaps they have to determine whether or not he loaded the gun with live ammunition.  All avenues have to be explored surely?

[ToraToraTora]

In the instance we are talking about he's an actor his job is to perform the scene not check that everyone else has done their job.

[royfromaus]

But he wasn't just an actor, was he.

[ToraToraTora]

He was an actor as far as the scene goes, they are prosecuting him as the actor in the scene, not as director or producer. It centres around the fact he pulled the trigger having previously said he did not. The pulling of the trigger is irrelevant. Why was there live ammunition even on the set, let alone in the gun? If anyone is responsible it's whoever prepared the gun for the scene.

[royfromaus]

https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1748696300558929920/pu/vid/avc1/1280x666/8JHw2O6YrN79C5F5.mp4?tag=12

 

[royfromaus]

Fined the Producers £140,000 for safety failures on the set

 

Now...who were the producers?