Actor Arrested After Fatal Action Scene

[36fan]

Actor Arrested After Fatal Action Scene

From: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030822/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/mexico_actor_killed

MEXICO CITY - An actor who said he thought he was handed a gun with harmless blanks has been arrested after shooting and killing a colleague during the filming of an action scene.

Actor Flavio Peniche was arrested on suspicion of homicide, according to the attorney general's office of Morelos state, just south of Mexico City. He has been released $40,000 bail.

The incident occurred on Saturday during filming of a low-budget movie, "Juana The Scorpion," at a hotel in Cuernavaca, the state capital.

"I was handed the prop gun, and did the scene as I was instructed," Peniche told The Associated Press Thursday. "When I saw the blood come from his chest, at first I though it was fake blood."

Peniche said he quickly realized actor Antonio Velasco, 42, was unconscious and called for help and tried to stop the bleeding.

Velasco died shortly afterward at a Cuernavaca hospital.

Peniche said Velasco was killed by a blank that contained too much gunpowder. But Morelos state prosecutors said it was a real bullet.

If convicted, Peniche could face a prison sentence of 8 to 20 years.

 

[nualle]

not enough information

Who loaded the gun? ...supplied the "blanks"?

Why is only the actor mentioned? What about the props crew? the director? the producers? How secure was the set?

Any number of things might have happened.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Weapons master or armorer was sleeping on the job.

 

[Mal H]

There has got to be more to this story than was reported. I find it hard to believe the Mexican prosecutors would jump the gun, so to speak. Contrary to popular (movie) opinion, they aren't Draconian down there.

One telling sentence I find suspicious is , "Peniche said he quickly realized actor Antonio Velasco, 42, was unconscious and called for help and tried to stop the bleeding." He had to call for help? If this was a normal movie set, there should be no need to "call" anyone. Why should he himself have to try to stop the bleeding? There should have been any number of people around and watching/working. I wonder if it was a "private" rehearsal and this is what caused the prosecutors to take the action they did.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Peniche said Velasco was killed by a blank that contained too much gunpowder. But Morelos state prosecutors said it was a real bullet.

On the proverbial "bright side," they're at least in Mexico rather than Los Angeles.

 

[Ol' Badger]

Ever see a Mexican Soap? Someone must of seen them too and decided to do something about the bad acting!

nualle: Nice signature

 

[C.R.Sam]

Amazing number of descrepiencies in that story.

Better could have by a 4th grader for english class been written.

Sam

 

[Mal H]

Another link, this one from Newsday: http://www.newsday.com/news/nationw...2,0,6572056.story?coll=ny-worldnews-headlines


Actor Slain During Scene

An actor in a Mexican action movie fatally shot a colleague after apparently being handed a gun with real bullets instead of blanks, authorities said yesterday.

Flavio Peniche, the brother of internationally known soap-opera star Arturo Peniche, was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and then released on bail Wednesday, according to the attorney general's office of Morelos state, just south of Mexico City.

The shooting occurred Saturday in Cuernavaca. According to police, Peniche fired what were supposed to be two blanks, then realized that actor Antonio Velasco had been wounded. Velasco soon died.

Police said they were still seeking the film's producer, Eduardo Martinez Sanchez, and a props manager who disappeared after the incident.

***********************

Hmmm - can't find the producer or props manager, eh? I'm sure they're perfectly innocent and just having their monthly meeting with their lawyers. Uh huh, that's the ticket.

 

[rammy]

quote:
___________________________________________________________
Police said they were still seeking the film's producer, Eduardo Martinez Sanchez, and a props manager who disappeared after the incident.
___________________________________________________________

now we are getting into the meat of the subject!!

 

[axeman_g]

wow

nualle ....

Now that is a tag line that says it all ......


Axe

 

[Blackhawk]

Follow the four rules even if you're POSITIVE that there are only blanks in the gun....

 

[Camel]

Better could have by a 4th grader for english class been written.

C.R.Sam, THR's Yoda

 

[geekWithA.45]

It's probable they didn't have a proper stage armorer.

I understand movie/stage armoring is a separate specialty, and that it's innapropriate for a general purpose prop guy to be filling that role.

Considering that filming generally requires 4 rules violations, too many bad things can/have happened over the years, especially when amateurs get into the act.

Most theater schools tell a few stories designed to foster a healthy respect. Typically, they involve shotgun wadding going through thin metal plate at close range.

 

[Rembrandt]

Not the first time this has occured....Brandon Lee, son of Bruce Lee was shot and killed by a stage gun....

 

[WilderBill]

Just HOW low budget WAS this film????

 

[moa]

A few years ago and up and coming star actor accidentally killed himself when he shot himself in the head with a .44 magnum blank cartridge. He apparenlty was clowning around on the set.

 

[BryanP]

Moa, you're talking about John Eric Hexum. It's actually kind of pitiful that I remember that.

 

[Shooter 2.5]

"Moa, you're talking about John Eric Hexum."

The really sad thing about that is his character was always described as not being very bright.