Former police officer, movie set advisor reacts to Alec Baldwin interview
"Negligence is not an excuse for committing a crime"
"Negligence is not an excuse for committing a crime"
"Negligence is not an excuse for committing a crime"
Dale McCue is a former police officer and police technical advisor for productions that come to Pittsburgh. He talked with Pittsburgh's Action News 4 after Alec Baldwin gave his first interview on screen to talk about the fatal "Rust" movie set shooting Thursday night.
"It's very surprising that he seems to have deflected any responsibility," McCue said.
During the interview, Baldwin said he's been told it's highly unlikely he will be criminally charged in the shooting, but McCue said he believes the actor could be included in a criminal charge.
"I think he is very much culpable for what happened not only being a producer, but being the actual person that last handled the weapon...when you are doing movies and TV shows that have those types of dangers and those types of hazards, you have to be on top of your game...negligence is not an excuse for committing a crime," McCue said.
McCue said there are so many safety protocols put into place on set, and they are strict. When it comes to handling weapons, the former police officer said there is a chain of custody.
"Things have changed so that these things don't repeat themselves," McCue said.
Actors, like George Clooney, have also spoken out about the incident. Clooney said every single time he is handed a gun on set, he looks at it, opens it and shows it to the crew. McCue said Baldwin should have done the same.
"At the very least, he should have had the prop master or the armorer visibly show him the weapon, show him that it's safe, show him that it's clear, and that stands with him," McCue said.