Alec Baldwin says he was following orders from Halyna Hutchins when handling gun, claims contract protects him from shooting death lawsuits: Docs



Alec Baldwin refused to take any responsibility for the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during the filming of the movie "Rust," according to a new filing. The Hollywood actor also argued that his contract protects him financially from any deaths that occurred during the filming of the movie in New Mexico.

New details about the "Rust" shooting death emerged through a court filing on Friday.

On Oct. 21, the movie crew were rehearsing a scene inside the church on Bonanza Creek Ranch with Baldwin as the character Harland Rust.

Content warning: Some viewers may find the video disturbing

WATCH \u2014\u00a0Lawyers for Halyna Hutchins released a video re-enacting the movie-set shooting showing when she was killed by Alec Baldwin\n\nhttps://nypost.com/2022/02/15/alec-baldwin-sued-by-cinematographer-halyna-hutchins-family/\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/joRc7SkttM
— Jon Levine (@Jon Levine) 1644962303

The filing states that Hutchins "directed Baldwin to hold the gun higher, to a point where it was directed toward her."

"She was looking carefully at the monitor and then at Baldwin, and then back again, as she gave these instructions," court documents read, according to the New York Times. "In giving and following these instructions, Hutchins and Baldwin shared a core, vital belief: that the gun was 'cold' and contained no live rounds."

Baldwin asked Hutchins if she wanted him to pull back the hammer of the gun — as the script instructed — and she said, "Yes," according to the filing.

"Baldwin then pulled back the hammer, but not far enough to actually cock the gun," the filing continued. "When Baldwin let go of the hammer, the gun went off."

The Times noted that the filing described the "confusion and horror after the shooting, as Ms. Hutchins was flown by helicopter to a hospital, where she was later pronounced dead."

Baldwin’s lawyer, Luke Nikas, claimed that the actor was not responsible for the fatal shooting of the 42-year-old Hutchins.

"Someone is culpable for chambering the live round that led to this horrific tragedy, and it is someone other than Baldwin," Nikas wrote in the filing. "This is a rare instance when the system broke down, and someone should be held legally culpable for the tragic consequences. That person is not Alec Baldwin."

The filing asserts that "Rust" armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed told Baldwin, "It was her job to check the gun — not his."

"An actor cannot rule that a gun is safe," the filing said. "That is the responsibility of other people on the set."

Nikas also claimed that Baldwin's contract absolved him of any financial repercussions from death during the filming of "Rust." Nikas said that there is a clause in Baldwin's contract with Rust Movie Productions L.L.C. that releases the actor from financial responsibility for legal fees or claims stemming from death on the set of the movie. The document names Rust Movie Productions L.L.C. and producer Ryan Smith as the respondents in the claim.

The filing also said Baldwin was to be paid $250,000 to act and produce the low-budget western. The docs claim that Baldwin returned $100,000 as an "investment" in the movie.

In the weeks following Hutchins' death, Baldwin attempted to persuade the cast and crew of the movie to finish filming to honor Hutchins, according to the filing. Nikas added that there was a plan to give the insurance payout and the film's profits to the Hutchins family.

The court docs revealed that Baldwin exchanged text messages with Matthew Hutchins, the widower of the slain cinematographer. The relationship started off promising with a breakfast in Santa Fe that included Hutchins' 9-year-old son.

"Hutchins hugged Baldwin and told him, 'I guess we’re going to go through this together,'" according to the filing.

However, the relationship took a turn last month when the family of Halyna Hutchins filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Alec Baldwin and other producers for their involvement in the deadly shooting.

Mamie Mitchell — the script supervisor for the Western movie — filed a lawsuit against Baldwin in November. The suit claims that Baldwin acted "intentionally, without just cause or excuse" in the lethal shooting.

Also in November, the head of lighting for the movie filed a lawsuit against "Rust" producers, including Alec Baldwin. Key gaffer Serge Svetnoy claimed to have suffered "severe emotional distress" because of the accidental shooting on the set that "will haunt him forever."

On Saturday at the Boulder International Film Festival, Baldwin blasted people who have filed lawsuits against him and said they were only targeting him because he is wealthy.

"What you have is a certain group of people, litigants and whatever ... on whatever side who their attitude is, oh, the people who likely seem negligent have no money, and the people who have money are not negligent, but we're not gonna let that stop us from doing what we need to do in terms of litigation," Baldwin said. "So we have people that are suing people that they think are deep-pocket litigants."

The 63-year-old actor added, "Why sue people if you're not going to get money? That's what you're doing it for."

Husband of killed 'Rust' cinematographer 'so angry' with Alec Baldwin for denying responsibility of shooting, recalls moment he told son that his mother had died



The husband of the "Rust" cinematographer who was shot and killed during the filming of the Western film on Oct. 21 broke his silence in a new interview. Matt Hutchins revealed his frustrations with Alec Baldwin for not taking responsibility for the shooting death of his wife Halyna Hutchins. The mourning widower also recalled the heartbreaking moment that he told his young son that his mother had died.

In a "Today" interview that aired on Thursday, Hutchins – who traveled 2,000 miles to Halyna's native country of Ukraine to propose only three months after they met – revealed how he found out about his wife being shot on the set of the movie.

"A member of the production team told me that Halyna had been shot, and my heart sank right away," Hutchins told host Hoda Kotb. "It was completely inexplicable to me that it could’ve happened at that moment, and the first thing I thought, I sat down, and I said, 'I have to get my son,' because I had to be with him."

"And so I rushed home, and on the way decided that we had to go to Santa Fe," he said. "When I got through to the doctor and spoke with him, and he detailed exactly what had happened and that she didn't survive, I was heartbroken. And I knew that I had to tell my son right away when I saw him."

"I just had to be very direct and blunt because going to pick him up and go to the airport to go to Santa Fe, I didn’t want him to think that we were going to be seeing her and having fun together, and getting his hopes up," Hutchins said of his 9-year-old son, Andros.

"I told him, sitting together, that his mother had been shot and died. And, of course, he didn't believe it right away. He didn't want to believe it," he explained. "I think that that kind of news you just have to say multiple times so that it can be believed. And so he believed it, and we cried together then."

An emotional Hutchins added, "And every holiday [since], Christmas, New Year's, our anniversary, my birthday, Valentine's Day — I mean every holiday is difficult without her. For me and Andros."

Hutchins slammed Alec Baldwin for his ABC News interview in December, where he confidently proclaimed that he is not responsible for the death of Halyna Hutchins, who was 42 years old.

In the interview, Baldwin told host George Stephanopoulos, "Someone put a live bullet in a gun, a bullet that wasn't even supposed to be on the property. Someone is responsible for what happened, and I can't say who that is, but I know it's not me."

When asked if he felt any guilt in the death of the cinematographer, Baldwin responded, "No. No. I might have killed myself if I thought I was responsible, and I don't say that lightly."

Regarding Baldwin's remarks in December, Matthew said, "Watching him, I just felt so angry. I was just so angry to see him talk about her death so publicly in such a detailed way and then to not accept any responsibility after having just described killing her."

"Almost sounds like he was the victim," he continued. "Hearing him blame Halyna in the interview, and shift responsibility to others, and seeing him cry about it. I just feel like, 'Are we really supposed to feel bad about you, Mr. Baldwin?'"

"The idea that the person holding the gun and causing it to discharge is not responsible is absurd to me," Hutchins declared.

"But gun safety was not the only problem on that set," he added. "There were a number of industry standards that were not practiced, and there's multiple responsible parties."

The family of Halyna Hutchins filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Baldwin and other producers for their involvement in the fatal shooting on the set of "Rust" on Feb. 15.

"Halyna Hutchins deserved to live, and the Defendants had the power to prevent her death if they had only held sacrosanct their duty to protect the safety of every individual on a set where firearms were present, instead of cutting corners on safety procedures where human lives were at stake, rushing to stay on schedule, and ignoring numerous complaints of safety violations," the lawsuit states.

During the interview, Hutchins was asked, "When do you miss her the most?" After letting out a sigh, Hutchins replied, "I saw a picture of her smiling the other day, and I just thought, 'She'll never smile again.' And that's really hard."

Husband Of 'Rust' Cinematographer Killed On Set Speaks Out www.youtube.com

Alec Baldwin delivers bizarre video rant, invokes Jan. 6 riot and cherished Splenda packet, while vowing to 'find out the truth' in shooting death of 'Rust' cinematographer



Alec Baldwin delivered a bizarre video rant about the investigation of the shooting death of "Rust" cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. In the nearly five-minute-long Instagram video posted on Saturday, Baldwin said that receiving a Splenda packet from a fan was a "miracle" and referred to the riots at the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021.

On his verified Instagram account with nearly 2.5 million followers, Baldwin issued an update regarding the shooting death of a cinematographer on the set of the movie "Rust." Sitting inside his SUV, Baldwin began his video discussing a missing Splenda packet that a neighbor found that had a handwritten note to the Hollywood actor.

"You are 100% true," the fan wrote to Baldwin. "Thanks for the laughs, Good Sir. Cheers to a new year. Love you.”

Baldwin brought his hand to his face and began to chuckle.

"She found the Splenda packet," Baldwin stated. "It's the Splenda packet."

Baldwin asked, "Does this mean that 2022 is going to be a good year? Wouldn't that be nice?"

Speaking of the Splenda packet, Baldwin exclaimed, "That is nothing short of a miracle." He added, "Can you believe something as silly as this has that much value?"

"Putting in pockets now so that I never lose it again," Baldwin stated as he put the small package of sugar substitute in his coat pocket.

Baldwin immediately pivoted from bubbly Splenda miracles to addressing concerning accusations that he is not fully cooperating with authorities in the shooting death of Halyna Hutchins.

"Any suggestion that I am not complying with requests or orders or demands or search warrants about my phone, that's bulls***, that's a lie," Baldwin declared, adding that authorities "have to specify what exactly they want."

"They can't just go through your phone and take, you know, your photos or your love letters to your wife or what have you," he claimed.

"But of course, we are 1000% going to comply with all that," the actor said. "We are perfectly fine with that."

He then suddenly made another peculiar detour by commenting on the death of Sidney Poitier.

“Sidney Poitier died, he's on the cover of the Daily News, and the cover of the [New York] Post has something else," Baldwin expressed.

On Jan. 8, the cover of the New York Post had a story titled, "Why Won't Alec Help?"

The New York Post article alleged:

Alec Baldwin, who has yet to turn over his cellphone to law enforcement in connection with the law enforcement investigation into the fatal shooting on the set of the movie “Rust, may be holding onto the device for a number of reasons, legal experts told The Post on Friday.

The lawyers theorized that the 63-year old actor may be concerned about the possibility of “incriminating” evidence on the phone— including deleted texts or photos that could hold him in criminal contempt–or may simply want to keep his private conversations out of the public eye.

"There could be incriminating evidence on the phone, or it might be for privacy reasons,” said Kevin Kearon, a former Nassau District Attorney’s Office who’s now a criminal defense lawyer.

“If he deleted text messages or call records then he would face the possibility of criminal contempt,” said Kearon, who works at the Long Island firm Barket Epstein Kearon. “Or if there are personal messages, for example, between he and his wife, it’s not shocking that he wouldn’t want them in the public domain.”

Baldwin — who wielded the firearm that shot and killed Hutchins — said, "The best way, the only way, we can honor the death of Halyna Hutchins is to find out the truth. That's what I'm working toward, insisting on, demanding."

"Any suggestion that I’m not complying, is a lie," the "30 Rock" actor stated in the video with nearly 200,000 views. "But I have no worries about that. That's all gonna work itself out. Regardless of what they say in these right-wing rag sheets. And people who are all about hate."

Then he curiously made a reference to the Capitol riots, "But setting aside all the hate, setting aside all the January 6th of it all, here it is," before once again presenting the Splenda packet with the compliments to the actor on it.

New lawsuit claims Alec Baldwin 'played Russian roulette' by not checking weapon, deadly 'Rust' scene didn't call for gun to be fired



A new lawsuit claims that the fatal "Rust" movie scene did not call for Alec Baldwin to fire a gun. The "Rust" shooting took the life of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. In the lawsuit, Mamie Mitchell — the script supervisor for the Western movie — noted that Baldwin acted "intentionally, without just cause or excuse" in the deadly shooting.

Mitchell announced the new lawsuit on Wednesday at a press conference in Los Angeles with her lawyer Gloria Allred.

"Mr. Baldwin chose to play Russian roulette when he fired a gun without checking it and without having the armorer do so in his presence," the high-power attorney said of the Oct. 21 shooting. "His behavior and that of the producers on 'Rust' was reckless."

Allred listed several safety protocols that were not followed during the filming of "Rust" in New Mexico. She noted that there was live ammunition on the movie set, people other than the armorer handled firearms, and that the fact that "safety bulletins were not promulgated or ignored makes this a case where injury or death was much more than just a possibility."

"Days before the shooting there were warning signs that there were dangerous conditions related to guns on the set," Allred said. "A camera operator had reported two gun discharges during a rehearsal in a cabin. 'This is super unsafe,' the camera operator wrote in a text message to the production manager."

Mitchell's lawsuit claimed, "Alec Baldwin intentionally, without just cause or excuse, cocked and fired and loaded gun even though the upcoming scene to be filmed did not call for the cocking and firing of a firearm."

Mitchell is claiming assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and deliberate infliction of harm. She is requesting unspecified damages.

Beside Baldwin, the lawsuit also names armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed, prop master Sarah Zachry, and assistant producer Dave Halls, according to Fox News.

Baldwin was handed a .45 Colt revolver by Halls — who allegedly shouted "cold gun," meaning the firearm was not loaded with live rounds. Baldwin fired the gun and shot Hutchins and director Joel Souza at the Bonanza Creek Ranch studio. Souza was injured and recovered from his gunshot injuries, but Hutchins died.

Mitchell described the moment that the shooting happened.

"I saw Alec going through his movement with the gun for the camera," Mitchell said. "I was holding my script in my left hand and had taken out my iPhone and opened up my photos to check the continuity on his shirt and vest. Then an explosion. Deafening loud gunshot."

"I was stunned. I heard someone moaning and I turned around and my director was falling backwards and holding his upper body and I turned around toward Alec and saw Halyna going down to the left of me," she explained.

Mitchell "ran outside" and called 911.

"She was on a stretcher and not moving ... her left hand was on her stomach ... it was blue," Mitchell said of Hutchins.

"I could not believe this was happening," she said.

Last week, "Rust" lighting director Serge Svetnoy filed the first negligence lawsuit in the tragic shooting.

Svetnoy alleges that the bullet "narrowly missed him," and he was "no more than six to seven feet" from Baldwin when the gun went off "suddenly and completely unexpectedly," according to the Los Angeles Times. He adds that he was struck by "discharge materials from the blast."

Rust script supervisor sues Alec Baldwin after fatal shooting www.youtube.com

'Rust' armorer breaks silence, blames producers for 'unsafe' set, has 'no idea where live rounds came from'



The armorer on the set of the "Rust" movie has broken her silence on the fatal shooting of a cinematographer Halyna Hutchins by actor Alec Baldwin.

Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 24, released a statement pertaining to the deadly shooting through her New Mexico-based attorneys – Jason Bowles and Robert Gorence.

"Safety is Hannah's number on priority on set," the attorneys said. "Ultimately this set would never have been compromised if live ammo were not introduced. Hannah has no idea where the live rounds came from."

"She fought for training, days to maintain weapons, and proper time to prepare for gunfire but ultimately was overruled by production and her department," the statement said of the armorer. "The whole production set became unsafe due to various factors, including lack of safety meetings. This was not the fault of Hannah."

The attorneys allege that Gutierrez-Reed was hired for two positions on "Rust" – which they say "made it extremely difficult to focus on her job as an armorer." The attorneys did not specify what the second position was.

Gutierrez-Reed said through her lawyers that there were two prior firearm discharges on the set of the Western-themed movie.

"The first one on this set was the prop master and the second one was a stunt man after Hannah informed him his gun was hot with blanks," her legal team said. "Hannah still, to this day, has never had an accidental discharge."

Gutierrez-Reed's attorneys addressed rumors that crew members used live ammunition for target practice.

"Hannah and the prop master gained control over the guns and she never witnessed anyone shoot live rounds with these guns nor would she permit that," the statement says. "They were locked up every night and at lunch and there's no way a single one of them was unaccounted for or being shot by crew members."

Gutierrez-Reed previously told authorities that "no live ammo is ever kept on set," according to a search warrant.

However, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza disputed that statement during an appearance on "Today."

"No, obviously it isn't," Mendoza said Thursday morning. "That was a live round that struck and killed Ms. Hutchins so that's not an accurate statement as far as I'm concerned."

“That is not an accurate statement.” -Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza on “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’… https://t.co/ufFw0JYzfh

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) 1635422618.0

Mendoza said that 500 rounds of ammunition — a mix of blanks, dummy rounds, and suspected live rounds — were found on the set. Over 12 revolvers and a rifle were also reportedly seized by police. Mendoza noted that the evidence taken from the set of "Rust" would be submitted to the FBI crime lab in Quantico, Virginia, for analysis, according to CNBC.

"I think there's all kinds of scenarios that can play out here," Mendoza said Thursday. "We need to make a determination of who was responsible for bringing the rounds onto set and why they were there, and then ultimately who was responsible for the safety of that firearm, and up until the firing of the firearm."

Regarding potential criminal charges in the shooting death of 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, Santa Fe County District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said, "All options are on the table."

Carmack-Altwies added, "No one has been ruled out at this point."

Mendoza names Baldwin, Gutierrez-Reed, and "Rust" assistant director David Halls as having handled the 1880s-style Pietta long Colt .45 revolver that Baldwin accidentally shot Hutchins and director Joel Souza at the Bonanza Creek Ranch studio while filming. Mendoza noted that all three "have been cooperative in the investigation and have provided statements."

Before the shooting, Halls reportedly assured everyone on the "Rust" set that the gun had blanks by shouting, "cold gun."

Halls informed investigators that he did not check all of the rounds in the firearm before handing it to Baldwin, according to an affidavit filed Wednesday.

"Gutierrez-Reed insists she had 'checked the 'dummies' and made sure there were not 'hot rounds' in the gun," Deadline reported.

Earlier this week, a spokesperson for the producers of "Rust," said that they are cooperating with authorities.

Armorer On Set Of Alec Baldwin Movie Speaks Out About Fatal Shooting www.youtube.com

Alec Baldwin shooting update: 'Rust' actor given 'cold gun;' tragic 911 call; touching tributes to Halyna Hutchins by husband and director



New developments are surfacing regarding Thursday's accidental shooting by actor Alec Baldwin that resulted in the death of a cinematographer on the set of a Western-themed movie. Several updates on the tragic death provide new details of the events leading up to the fatal shooting of 42-year-old Halyna Hutchins during the filming the movie "Rust" in New Mexico.

Alec Baldwin was reportedly given a 'cold gun'

While filming the movie "Rust" at the Bonanza Creek Ranch outside Santa Fe, Baldwin was told that he was being given a prop gun that was not loaded with live ammo, according to an affidavit filed by the Santa Fe County's Sheriff's Office. The assistant director assured everyone on set that the firearm had blanks by shouting, "cold gun," the Associated Press reported.

However, when Baldwin pulled the gun's trigger, it fired a bullet that struck Hutchins in the chest and hit the shoulder of director Joel Souza, who was standing behind her. Hutchins was airlifted by helicopter to the University of New Mexico Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Souza was taken by ambulance to a hospital, and he was released on Friday morning.

According to the affidavit, Baldwin was handed one of three prop guns on a cart by assistant director David Halls. The armorer — the person in charge of overseeing the guns and weapons on movie sets — placed three prop guns on a cart, according to the affidavit.

The armorer previously voiced concerns about not being 'ready'

The Los Angeles Times named 24-year-old Hannah Gutierrez-Reed as the armorer for the "Rust" movie. She is the daughter of veteran Hollywood armorer Thell Reed and recently completed her first film as the head armorer for "The Old Way," another Western movie starring Clint Howard and Nicolas Cage.

The Daily Beast reported that Gutierrez-Reed almost didn't take "The Old Way" job because she wasn't sure if she was ready.

"I almost didn't take the job because I wasn't sure if I was ready but doing it, it went really smoothly," she said on the Voices of the West podcast. She later added that she thought loading blank rounds into the firearms was "the scariest thing."

There were reportedly other gun mishaps on the 'Rust' set

The prop gun that was involved in the fatal shooting of Hutchins previously misfired, sources told NBC News. The insider claimed that several crew members walked off the set several hours before the shooting because of safety concerns.

The Daily Beast reported, "There were at least two prior incidents of a gun being misfired on the set of the upcoming Western film 'Rust' in the days leading up to Alec Baldwin discharging a prop gun on Thursday that killed the film's cinematographer and injured the director."

Rust Movie Productions LLC responded to the reports of safety issues.

"The safety of our cast and crew is the top priority of Rust Productions and everyone associated with the company, " the company stated. "Though we were not made aware of any official complaints concerning weapon or prop safety on set, we will be conducting an internal review of our procedures while production is shut down. We will continue to cooperate with the Santa Fe authorities in their investigation and offer mental health services to the cast and crew during this tragic time."

Tragic 911 call

The Albuquerque Journal obtained audio of the 911 call from the set following the tragic shooting.

"We've had two people accidentally shot by a prop gun; we need help immediately," a woman who identified herself as a script supervisor Mamie Mitchell is heard telling the emergency dispatcher. "We were rehearsing and it went off, and I ran out, we all ran out."

The dispatcher asked, "Was it loaded with a real bullet?"

The caller replied, "I don't … I can't tell you that."

Mitchell is heard on the 911 call telling someone, "And this (expletive) AD that yelled at me at lunch – asking about revisions, this mother (expletive) – he's supposed to check the guns, he's responsible for what happens on the set."

Alec Baldwin's 'Rust' 911 call released after fatal incident on movie set www.youtube.com

Final social media posts by Halyna Hutchins

The last five posts on the Instagram page of Hutchins were all from the set of "Rust," including a cast photo that featured and tagged Alec Baldwin.

Family of slain cinematographer remembers Halyna Hutchins

Matt Hutchins – the husband of Halyna Hutchins – gave a touching tribute to his now-deceased wife of 16 years.

"Halyna inspired us all with her passion and vision, and her legacy is too meaningful to encapsulate in words," the widower wrote on social media with a photo of Halyna and their son. "Our loss is enormous, and we ask that the media please respect my family's privacy as we process our grief. We thank everyone for sharing images and stories of her life."

Hutchins also said he had spoken with Baldwin, and the actor was being "very supportive."

Halyna inspired us all with her passion and vision, and her legacy is too meaningful to encapsulate in words. Our… https://t.co/WVjJ4FHkkV

— Matt Hutchins (@mhutchins) 1634957681.0

Alec Baldwin says his 'heart is broken'

Baldwin, 63, said he was heartbroken and fully cooperating in the investigation.

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. 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," he tweeted on Friday. "My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna.No charges have been filed in the case."

He also backed reports that he was told the prop gun was safe to use, liking an article on Twitter that indicated that he was told it was cold.

"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 on Twitter. "I'm fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred."

Souza also issued a statement on the death of Halyna.

"I am gutted by the loss of my friend and colleague, Halyna," Souza said in a statement to Fox News on Saturday. "She was kind, vibrant, incredibly talented, fought for every inch and always pushed me to be better. My thoughts are with her family at this most difficult time."

"I am humbled and grateful by the outpouring of affection we have received from our filmmaking community, the people of Santa Fe, and the hundreds of strangers who have reached out….. It will surely aid in my recovery," he added.

No charges have been made in connection with the shooting.

"This case is still in its preliminary stages of investigation," First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said on Friday. "We are assisting the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office and have offered our full support to them. At this time, we do not know if charges will be filed. We will look into all facts and evidence of the case with great discretion and have further information at a later time. Our thoughts are with all affected by this tragedy."