RIP

Alec Baldwin clearly doesn't believe the conditions on the set of "Rust" were chaotic or unsafe leading up to the fatal shooting -- he's shining a light on at least one crew member who insists the film had normal hiccups ... and one major accident.

Baldwin just reposted a long message from a woman claiming to have worked on the film, who's attesting to safety meetings and normal working hours on the set -- as well as defending the hiring of armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed.

The post reads, "The story being spun of us being overworked and surrounded by unsafe, chaotic conditions is bulls**t." As we reported, the film's camera crew had walked off set just days before the accident after complaints of long hours and no provided hotel accommodations.

The crew member Alec reposted claims the crew had hotels, they just didn't think they were "fancy enough."

As for Gutierrez, the post says, "Was she the most experienced person? No. Were her qualifications typical for a Tier One? Yes ... But how do you supposed anyone will get that experience? We all had a first and second job at one point or another."

Finally, the reposted crew member speaks to what she wishes she had done differently that could have saved Halyna Hutchins' life. She says, "I'd call out an AD who was handing a gun to an actor. Not because that's my job, but because I never want to lose someone I love to this again."

Baldwin spoke with photogs over the weekend in Vermont, telling them the Hutchins accident was "one in a trillion" and that the "Rust" set was tight. He also said the Santa Fe Sheriff's Department warned him NOT to speak about the case.

While Alec himself isn't providing this account of the "Rust" set ... he's at the very least cosigning on it by reposting, which could tick off investigators.

Two of the families whose loved ones perished in the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash just agreed to settlements with L.A. County over the alleged sharing of crash site photos of remains -- but Vanessa Bryant is still at war.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved $2.5 million to be split between the families of Christine Mauser and Keri, John and Alyssa Altobelli ... according to docs. Mauser's husband, Matthew, gets $1.25 mil, and the Altobelli's 2 surviving children get the same.

According to the L.A. Times, which first reported the settlement, counsel for the county suggested settling with the families would be the best route as they continue to deal with Vanessa's lawsuit, and one from Chris Chester ... whose wife and child died in the crash.

The outlet says the lawsuits have already cost L.A. County an estimated $1.29 million in legal fees.

Meanwhile, Vanessa and Chris' suits are still playing out in court ... and could be headed for trial in the near future. Speaking of them, a judge denied L.A. County's motion seeking psychiatric evaluations of Vanessa and Chris, ruling it came too late in the case.

The county argued that the psychiatric evaluations would help determine if their emotional distress was actually related to crash photos that she and the public have never seen.

Kobe Bryant was showcased in an extravagant Halloween display in Los Angeles this spooky holiday ... with the Los Angeles Lakers legend getting a jaw-dropping pumpkin tribute.

The nod to the NBA icon was part of the "Nights of the Jack" at King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas ... which is an annual over-the-top event that turns pumpkins into art pieces.

The festival included octopi, sharks and other animals ... as well as athletes getting the old-fashioned jack-o'-lantern treatment.

But, the Black Mamba got his very own display ... showing Kobe in a #24 Lakers jersey with the phrase, "Mamba Forever," and his signature autograph.

The whole piece used several pumpkins to complete ... and the finished product is incredible.

Kobe’s daughter, Gianna, as well as LeBron James and WWE Hall of Fame Hulk Hogan also got the pumpkin treatment.

Horse jockey Miguel Mena was tragically killed after being stuck by a car in Louisville Sunday night, according to reports. He was only 34.

The Jefferson County Coroner's Office in Kentucky says Mena was walking on the interstate in Louisville when he was hit by a vehicle around 7:30 PM.

At this time, there's no explanation to why Mena was walking on the highway -- the manner of death was ruled accidental.

The Peru native became a jockey in the US in 2003 -- he started in 2 Kentucky Derbys and rode 2,079 winners, including 481 at Churchill Downs ... which is 15th all-time.

This year, he won the Masqueparade in the Ohio Derby (G3) and Dalika in the Robert G. Dick Memorial (G3).

Mena earned $36k in his last win on Oct. 24 at Keeneland -- and overall, made $72 million in his career.

Several jockeys expressed their sadness over Mena's tragic death on social media ... with Alex Canchari saying, "my heart hurts right now I can’t believe this."

"RIP my friend Miguel Mena😔😔 a devoted father an amazing/fearless Jockey and a role model to so many my heart is broken for Miguel’s family I have no words rest easy Cholo  🙏😔😔"

Churchill Downs Racetrack President Mike Anderson released a statement -- "This news is absolutely shocking, terrible and heartbreaking."

"Our team is devastated to learn of Miguel’s passing. He was such a courageous rider who fought to overcome several challenges and adversity. We’ll miss his bright smile."

Anderson added, "Our deepest condolences are extended to his many friends, fellow riders and family, and our immediate thoughts are with his wife April and his daughters Naelah and Montserra."

Mena would have turned 35 this Saturday.

Bill Belichick is just like everyone else in New England, mourning the death of Boston Red Sox legend, Jerry Remy ... who passed away after a year 13-year battle with cancer over the weekend.

The Patriots coach ended his weekly interview on WEEI ... memorializing the 68-year-old former player (infielder) and broadcaster of over 3 decades.

“Before we sign off, I just wanted to say to all of our fans out there, who are mostly Red Sox fans, how much we all are saddened by Jerry’s passing and how much he meant to all of us, the connection that he was to the Red Sox, his voice in the game and (how great) it was for the fans,” Belichick told the guys.

The 6x Super Bowl-winning head coach continues ... “He meant so much to Boston sports as a player and as an announcer, and his commentary of the game and insight into the game."

"We’ll all miss him. I know our fans are Jerry Remy and Red Sox fans, too, so our sympathy goes out to the Remy family. I just want to express my and all of our appreciation for all that he did to make Boston sports enjoyable and exciting for all of us. We’ll certainly miss him.”

The Red Sox also released a statement on Remy's death, with team owner John Henry saying ... "We are saddened by the loss of a beloved player, broadcaster, and 13-year cancer warrior."

Remy -- who played 7 seasons for the Sox as a 2nd baseman -- was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame in 2006.

Jerry -- who was born in Massachusetts -- was last seen at Fenway on October 5 for the Wild Card game against the New York Yankees. He threw out the first pitch to former teammate and broadcast partner, Dennis Eckersley.

Halyna Hutchins' words to the "Rust" crew after being shot prove she had a wicked sense of humor -- albeit a dark one -- and maintained it right up to her tragic end.

The slain cinematographer uttered something in response to a boom operator after being struck by the bullet Alec Baldwin had just unknowingly fired. She said, "That was no good. That was no good at all," this according to the L.A. Times.

She was reportedly replying to the boom op, who'd said the exact same thing after seeing her injury, as someone else shouted for a medic to rush to her aid. Hutchins is said to have stumbled back and fallen into the arms of a gaffer, and director Joel Souza.

Souza, who was also injured, said something along the lines of, "What the f*** was that? That burns!" Alec, similarly, repeatedly said ... "What the f*** just happened?"

As we've reported, Alec and co. were rehearsing for a shoot-out scene inside a church. Alec, the lead, was using a .45 Colt revolver. Baldwin reportedly said, "So, I guess I'm gonna take this out, pull it out and go, 'Bang!'" -- at which point, he actually carried out the gesture and fired.

The gun -- which assistant director Dave Halls had just declared was "cold" before handing it to Alec -- was supposed to be loaded with nothing but dummy rounds ... but at least one real bullet was inside.

Santa Fe authorities are still investigating the circumstances of the fatal shooting, and have not ruled out criminal charges against anyone.

Production shut down, and it appears this movie may never see the light of day ... according to Baldwin anyway, who has since gone to Vermont with his family in an attempt to lay low.

He told paparazzi he was cooperating with the Sheriff's Office, and that he couldn't disclose too many details from the case. What he did say, however, was that Hutchins was his friend -- and that he and her family are devastated.

Captain Mark Howard, a staple on the opening season of "Below Deck Mediterranean" has died ... TMZ has learned.

Howard died in Florida at some point in the last week, a family friend says his death was sudden and occurred while he was at home. We do not currently know any other circumstances surrounding his death.

Captain Howard appeared on 13 episodes of the show's first season in 2016. He was a respected figure of authority on the show, and always maintained the "customer is always right" attitude, yet was still very hands-on with all of his crew members.

According to his biography on Bravo, he grew up in Michigan, and had almost 30 years of experience on boats. Not only could he captain a boat, Mark had his pilot's license as well.

"Below Deck Mediterranean" is currently on its 6th season and still running. The yachts featured on the show range from $140,000 to $300,000 per week. Captain Sandy Yawn is now one of the faces of the show, with a growing following on social media.

Howard was 65, and leaves behind his wife, Susan.

RIP

The head armorer for "Rust" is pointing fingers, claiming the real culprit is the person who introduced live rounds on the set ... she says unbeknownst to her.

The lawyers for Hannah Gutierrez-Reed say in a statement, Hannah "is devastated and completely beside herself over the events that have transpired."

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

Her lawyers went on to echo what she told authorities ... that the guns were locked up at night and during lunch.

And, the lawyers cast blame on producers for overloading her with work, saying, "Hannah was hired on two positions on this film, which made it extremely difficult to focus on her job as an armorer." This is an interesting statement because it almost assumes she didn't do her job properly because she had too much else to do. We are told her other job on set was as the key assistant for props.

The lawyers say, "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 whole production set became unsafe due to various factors, including lack of safety meetings."

The statement seems to acknowledge there were at least 2 misfires of the weapon in the days prior to the fatal shooting ... "The first one on this set was the prop master and the second was a stunt man after Hannah informed him his gun was hot with blanks."

Authorities have already said there were lapses on the set, but they have not played their hand on whether criminal charges will be filed. What is clear ... a real gun should not have been used, there should not have been live ammo on the set and the crew should have cleared everyone in the line of fire to move away during the rehearsal.

Master P has worked on a lot of movie and music video sets using guns and without accidents ... and he credits growing up in the hood as a reason they've been so safe.

We got MP at LAX Thursday and asked about the tragic death of Halyna Hutchins on the set of "Rust." He says he's actually crossed paths with Hutchins before ... she worked as a cinematographer on his movie "I Got The Hook-Up 2."

P joined the chorus of people saying the gun should have been thoroughly checked before it was handed over to Alec Baldwin ... something that was not done. He also blames producers and Baldwin, saying pretty much everyone was responsible, and producers can't escape blame by claiming they were in the dark.

Alec Baldwin is surrounding himself with family in an off-the-beaten-path location in the wake of the fatal accident on his "Rust" movie set -- but his face shows the tragedy's still weighing on him.

We obtained these photos of Alec with his wife, Hilaria, and their kids grabbing a meal at a pizza joint in a small New England town. Witnesses tell us they were spotted out there on Sunday picking up a takeout order ... which Alec was carrying as his family followed close behind.

You can see, both Alec and Hilaria had their heads down and looked as somber as you'd expect considering the horrific events of last week.

As you know, Alec pulled the trigger on a revolver while rehearsing a "Rust" scene in Santa Fe, NM -- and the shot ended up killing his director of photography, Halyna Hutchins, and injuring director Joel Souza.

By all accounts, Alec didn't know the gun in his hand was loaded with live ammunition. Assistant director Dave Halls handed it to him and said it was a "cold gun." Halls later admitted to cops he had not properly checked the weapon.

Last Saturday, Alec met with Halyna's husband and son in New Mexico, not far from the movie set. It looks like Alec was wearing the same outfit the next day when he was in New England with his family ... and clearly had so much on his mind.

Alec Baldwin is seemingly declaring his innocence in the accident that killed Halyna Hutchins by pointing out he was told it was a "cold" gun ... when it was actually loaded with a live round.

Baldwin retweeted an article Wednesday night about the most recent search warrant filed in the death investigation. The NYT story -- headlined, "Gun Handed to Alec Baldwin Was Not Thoroughly Checked" -- focused on the documents TMZ first told you about, which highlight several safety failures.

In the affidavit filed Wednesday, Assistant Director Dave Halls admitted to cops he had not thoroughly checked the weapon for live rounds before handing it to Baldwin.

While Alec hasn't said anything publicly since his first tweet the day after Hutchins was killed, his actions on social media speak volumes, retweeting multiple articles saying he was told the weapon was safe.

Head armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, told authorities prior to the scene, and during the movie's lunch break, the gun was locked in a safe and very few people had access to it.

The question that remains ... how did live ammo not only get on set, but into the gun's chamber? We spoke with several people from the set who told us outside of filming, the gun was sometimes used for recreational use and target practice.

Both the Santa Fe Co. Sheriff's Office and District Attorney held a press conference Wednesday where they said charges are technically still on the table for everyone involved.

It's time to drop the curtain on the Alec Baldwin movie "Rust" after the fatal shooting on set ... at least according to one of the principal actors.

Ian A. Hudson, a New Mexico-based principal cast member who plays an outlaw in the film, tells TMZ ... the show can't go on because slain cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was the vision behind the movie.

While Ian says it's ultimately up to director Joel Souza and the rest of the creative minds, he thinks the movie just wouldn't be the same without Halyna and Joel working in tandem ... and it's time to throw in the towel.

Remember ... Ian was smack in the center of some of the gun scenes in the movie, and he told us his shootout scene felt "life-threatening" because real firearms were firing blanks at him, resulting in him being struck by small bits of cardboard and a rush of air.

As you know ... Alec pulled the trigger on a gun that fired the fatal live round of ammo that killed Halyna and injured Joel.

Assistant director Dave Halls gave Alec the gun used in the scene, telling him it was a "cold gun" ... meaning it was not loaded.

There's an ongoing investigation into the incident and authorities say criminal charges are still on the table for all involved ... which could make it even harder for the movie to continue.

We covered it all on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast.

Halyna Hutchins' family is almost certainly gearing up for a wrongful death lawsuit -- in the wake of her death on the set of the movie "Rust" -- and TMZ has learned the insurance policy that covered the production is limited to $6 million.

We obtained the certificate of insurance written by Front Row Insurance Brokers. General liability coverage is limited to $1 million per occurrence. There is also a commercial umbrella policy -- which is a supplement to the general liability coverage -- for an additional $5 million.

The production company filed a permit for the film, and the paperwork shows a $1 million policy, but that appears to be the minimum required for shooting in New Mexico. The production company obtained the umbrella, which is quite typical but not referenced in the permit.

It sounds like a lot of money, but it could be woefully inadequate. 42-year-old Hutchins was a rising star with decades of earnings ahead of her. She was also a mother and a wife, which allows her son and husband to collect for loss of affection. And remember, director Joel Souza was also shot and wounded, and he would have a personal injury claim. The total the insurance company would pay for both Hutchins and Souza is limited to $6 mil.

There's a wild card here ... punitive damages. In New Mexico, if there's proof of recklessness or wanton misconduct, a jury could award punitive damages, and that could send any judgment into the stratosphere.

It seems obvious there was serious negligence on the set, to say the least. A real gun was used, something gun experts on movie sets say is a clear violation. The gun fired off a fatal live round of ammunition, and live rounds should never be on a movie set. And, the area in the line of fire should have been cleared of people, which it was not.

And, there's more. The gun in question clearly was not adequately inspected before it was handed over to Alec Baldwin. And, as we reported several days ago, some members of the crew were using that gun for target practice -- with real bullets. And, someone may have been doing just that hours before the shooting on the set.

There's another issue ... Front Row would not discuss the terms of the policy with us, but typically there are numerous requirements insurance companies impose and violations of those requirements could allow the company to deny coverage. For instance, given this was a policy to cover a western with various gun scenes, there may be an exclusion if there was live ammo on the set.

The gaffer from the set of 'Rust' who torched producers and the novice armorer over Halyna Hutchins' death is back in Los Angeles. ... and he's got some support waiting for him.

Serge Svetnoy touched down in L.A. Tuesday just a couple days after his scathing Facebook post squarely blaming Hannah Reed and others working behind the scenes for allowing this tragedy to unfold on set.

As you can see, Serge was greeted by a friend ... who was ready to welcome him with open arms. The 2 embraced in a hug, although the guy still looked pretty somber, and understandably so.

He also appears to be one of the first crew members back on the West Coast after last week's shooting incident in New Mexico. It could be a sign of where cops are in the investigation too -- presumably, the authorities are starting to cut people loose.

Like we told you ... Serge wasn't shy about sharing his criticism of what went wrong and whose actions he thinks cost Halyna her life. He explicitly mentioned the 24-year-old weapons expert ... while also throwing around words like "negligence" and "unprofessionalism."

In addition to his comments, he also posted what's believed to be one of the last photographs of her ... shortly before she died.

She and the rest of the crew were rehearsing a scene in a church, where Alec Baldwin was in full costume ... and where he ultimately did a cross-draw motion and fired the gun, not knowing it had a live round of ammo in one of the chambers. Serge says he was holding Halyna, and was covered in her blood before she was airlifted.

So far, there've been no criminal charges brought forth -- but the investigation is still underway, and this is far from over.

A haunting image showing Halyna Hutchins on the set of "Rust" helps paint an eerie picture of the DP's surroundings in her final moments after the fatal accident on set of the Alec Baldwin film.

The photo -- uploaded by the movie's chief electrician Serge Svetnoy -- claims to be the last photo with Halyna on set. Hutchins is wearing a tan beanie with headphones covering her ears.

The setting is what makes the photo so tragic considering it was inside the same church where she was shot and killed after the gun Baldwin was holding fired a live round that struck her in the chest.

According to the search warrant, obtained by TMZ, the fatal scene was supposed to depict Baldwin, sitting in a church pew, pulling his gun from his holster and firing into the camera. The warrant says Baldwin believed he was getting a "cold gun" without ammo from the assistant director, but that was not the case.

In a scathing Facebook post, Svetnoy blamed "negligence and unprofessionalism" on the part of the film's armorer and assistant director for Hutchins' death. He claims he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Halyna during the fatal shot, saying, "I was holding her in my arms while she was dying. Her blood was on my hands."

As we reported, the accident is still under investigation, but a lot of suspicion has been raised about the level of experience armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed brought to the project.

In a podcast recorded last month, Reed claimed she had only recently come off her first film as head armorer and almost didn't take the gig because she felt she wasn't ready.

Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins says a Dallas Stars fan crossed the line before Monday night's game ... claiming he was taunted over the death of his teammate Matiss Kivlenieks -- and now the team is investigating.

Merzlikins -- who was friends with Kivlenieks before his tragic passing in July -- says he was walking out of the tunnel before taking the ice in Columbus when a fan in a Stars sweater started heckling him.

The 27-year-old addressed the incident with reporters after the 4-1 win, saying he truly believes the nasty remark resulted in karma on the ice.

"I was expecting a shutout because I believe in karma," Merzlikins said. "There are some stupid people in this world. It was really bad what happened in the tunnel when I was walking out. There was a fan from Dallas who (provoked) me about Matiss."

"After the first period, the three posts that I got, I really believed in karma. I saw that he was really there."

Merzlikins says he did not respond to the fan or get upset over the comment ... adding, "stupid people don't really come in my head."