CHICAGO (NewsNation Now) — The father of a woman who was killed on the set of the film “Midnight Rider” in 2014 said he had hoped things would have changed after the death of his daughter, Sarah Jones.
Sarah’s parents launched the Sarah Jones Film Foundation to help foster awareness and accountability on film sets. The death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Alec Baldwin film “Rust” has brought up painful memories for Sarah’s father.
“I had hoped that Sarah’s death would make a difference, and I’d hoped Sarah’s death would even save lives. And I would have hoped that Sarah’s death would have saved Halyna, but it didn’t. And that hurts,” Richard Jones said.
The gun on the set of “Rust” was loaded with live rounds, and when Baldwin pulled the trigger, he killed Hutchins. Director Joel Souza, who was standing behind her, was wounded.
Jones was killed when she was struck by a CSX freight train in Wayne County, Georgia. Seven others were injured. Director Randall Miller ended up going to jail and 11 others were held responsible. Investigators have said they have not ruled out criminal charges in Hutchins’ death.
“I do think or caution that we should let the investigation unfold and determine as best we can what the facts are in and in doing so find those that are responsible for [Hutchins] death. And then we absolutely need to hold him fully accountable,” Richard Jones said.
Guns used in making movies are sometimes real weapons that can fire either bullets or blanks, which are gunpowder charges that produce a flash and a bang but no deadly projectile. Even blanks can eject hot gases and paper or plastic wadding from the barrel that can be lethal at close range.
Production on “Rust” has stopped and the shooting remains under investigation.
Watch “Banfield” weeknights at 10/9c on NewsNation.