- Harris slams Trump for hypocrisy on abortion as US starts voting
- Academy to host first overseas ceremony to honor young filmmakers
- No doctor necessary: US okays nasal spray flu vaccine for self-use
- Gurbaz, birthday boy Rashid lead Afghanistan to 177-run rout of South Africa
- Former delivery man Baldwin leads star names at PGA Championship
- Trump shooting: Secret Service admits complacency
- Can an ambitious Milei make Argentina an AI giant?
- Haiti, its suffering growing, in 'race against time': UN expert
- Ibrahim Aqil, the Hezbollah elite unit commander wanted by the US
- Chinese forward Cui signs NBA contract with Brooklyn Nets
- US Fed dissenter calls for 'measured' pace of rate cuts
- Guardiola tells players to lead change over workload as Kompany demands cap on games
- Norway limits wild salmon fishing as stocks hit new lows
- Top Hezbollah commander killed in Israeli strike on Beirut
- Rotterdam fatal knife attacker suspected of 'terrorist motive'
- First early votes cast in knife-edge US presidential election
- Top-ranked Swiatek out of Beijing due to 'personal matters'
- Hard-right Reform UK looks to the future after vote success
- Embiid agrees to NBA contract extension with 76ers
- Joshua aims to complete road to redemption in Dubois bout
- World champion Bagnaia sets pace with lap record at Misano
- Biden says 'working' to get people back to homes on Israel-Lebanon border
- Pope criticises Argentina's crackdown on protesters
- Court limits screenings of videos in France mass rape case
- Gurbaz century takes Afghanistan to 311-4 in 2nd ODI
- Central banks face 'difficult balancing act': IMF chief
- McLaren's Norris sets Singapore pace as struggling Verstappen 15th
- Guardiola tells players to lead change over workload fears
- Paris Olympics sports equipment moves to new homes
- 'Happy' Kinghorn relishing life at Toulouse
- Norris sets Singapore pace as Verstappen only 15th
- 8 dead in Israeli strike, source says Hezbollah commander killed
- Germany to bid to host women's Euro 2029
- Portugal brings deadly forest fires under control
- Postecoglou defends Solanke after slow start to Spurs career
- US nuclear plant Three Mile Island to reopen to power Microsoft
- Arteta urges Arsenal to take next step in Man City showdown
- Stock markets fall after Fed-fuelled rally
- Top Hezbollah commander 'killed' in Israel strike
- Poland charges Russian over attack on Navalny ally: prosecutors
- Man City have rest 'advantage' in Arsenal showdown: Guardiola
- Maresca has 'no doubt' in Jackson as Chelsea's number nine
- EU chief announces 35 bn euro loan plan for Ukraine before winter
- From TikTok to Hollywood, the irresistible rise of Italy's Khaby Lame
- Verstappen punished for swearing in Singapore press conference
- Sri Lanka lead by 202 in first New Zealand Test
- Brook 'not too fussed' by England's batting in heavy Australia loss
- India's Ashwin 'happy' to embrace pressure
- A modern 'Trojan Horse': two days of mayhem in Lebanon
- Third of Burundi mpox cases in children under five: UN
Alec Baldwin deadly shooting: probe nearly finished, says sheriff
The criminal investigation into the fatal shooting on a US movie starring Alec Baldwin is "nearing completion," the officer leading the probe said Tuesday.
Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendoza's comments come as his department released a trove of materials around the incident that claimed Halyna Hutchins' life on the set of low-budget Western "Rust," including footage of Baldwin apparently practicing with the gun that killed her.
"We've estimated a time frame...in weeks and not months," Mendoza told broadcaster ABC.
"There's a few things that we're waiting for in the final FBI report in regards to the analysis of the firearm, the munitions, the latent prints and DNA.
"We're also waiting on the office of the medical investigator to complete their report and analysis of a little bit more cell phone data."
Cinematographer Hutchins, 42, died after being hit by a live round that came from the gun Baldwin was holding as he rehearsed on the New Mexico set in October.
Baldwin, who was a producer as well as the star of the movie, had been told the gun was safe and has previously said he did not pull the trigger.
Footage released by the sheriff's department show first responders rushing to treat Hutchins, as well as a dazed Baldwin's first encounters with law enforcement.
Other clips, apparently from the now-abandoned movie, show the Hollywood star in period dress sitting in the pew of the wooden church and pulling out the Colt gun, which he points in the direction of the camera.
The moment of the shooting, in which director Joel Souza was also hurt, is not seen.
- Criminal charges -
Strict measures are supposed to be in place on movie sets to prevent tragedies, including the exclusive use of dummy or blank rounds in any production involving firearms.
But a health and safety probe by New Mexico officials, which levied a fine of over $136,000, said last week that producers had shown "plain indifference" to these protocols.
Mendoza said Tuesday the provenance of the live round that killed Hutchins was "one of the key questions" of the criminal probe.
"Nobody's come forward and admitted to bringing ammunition to the set," he said.
The raft of materials includes messages from Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the young armorer who was responsible for weaponry on the set, that refer to the use of live rounds on another movie.
"That's concerning, because it was just a few months before the production of 'Rust' went into effect," Mendoza said. "And these are some of the same employees and people that played a role in the 'Rust' production."
Mendoza said no decision had yet been taken on whether Baldwin would face criminal charges.
"He was the one that handled the weapon that fired the round that that led to the fatality and the injury," he said.
"We're going to work in conjunction with the (district attorney's) office to determine if there is criminal neglect or criminal charges."
Although no criminal charges have been filed to date, there have been a series of civil suits.
Hutchins' family has sued Baldwin and other "Rust" producers, claiming "substantial" damages for her wrongful death.
Other proceedings have been launched against producers by the movie's chief lighting technician and script supervisor.
Gutierrez-Reed has sued the film's ammunition supplier, accusing him of leaving real bullets among the dummy cartridges.
Baldwin told a TV interviewer in December he had been instructed by Hutchins to point the gun in her direction, and did not pull the trigger.
"I feel that someone is responsible for what happened and I can't say who that is. "But I know it's not me."
O.Bulka--BTB