This is slightly old news and if someone else has posted it, I apologize. I didn't know FT had a specific forum for Firearms in the Media. Here is a c/p from a post I made on another forum. In the end no charges were filed (but there should have been some against the movie people.)
These idiots were filming 2 blocks from the police station and didn't bother to inform anyone they were making a movie.
State Police are now investigating why one local officer discharged his weapon even though the suspect immediately complied by dropping his gun.
quote:A Crawfordsville police officer discharged his service weapon Tuesday (9/26) evening at a suspected robber standing in front of Backstep Brewery on North Green Street. The suspect, who was actually filming a scene for the latest Montgomery County Movies production, was not injured as a bullet flew past him and possibly ricocheted off the brewery or its next door neighbor, the Journal Review.
Before the 7 p.m. incident, a woman driving north on Green Street noticed two men in black hoods, both with pistols. She immediately called 9-1-1 and reported a robbery.
Witnesses say they heard a single gunshot and came out of a business across from the Journal Review. They saw an officer with his gun drawn and saw the suspect drop to the ground while yelling, “It’s a movie.”
The suspect was actor Jim Duff. He ran out of the brewery as part of the movie scene, only to find an audience of police officers with weapons drawn. Duff immediately threw off his cloth mask and dropped the air gun he was holding.
“As I came out of the brewery and saw the officers, I quickly complied and threw off the mask and dropped the gun,” Duff said. “The next thing I know I heard a gun shot and something buzz by my head.”
Fragments of the bullet were found lying in the street in front of the north end of the Journal Review building.
MCM owner Philip Demoret was the second man dressed as a bandit in the scene. He was not outside at the time of the incident but was standing next to the glass door. He heard officers yelling as he started to exit and backed off immediately.
As he peaked out the door he saw several officers with guns drawn and still yelling at Duff to get on the ground before he heard the shot.
“I saw Jim do exactly what the police were telling him to do,” Demoret said.
Demoret and MCM had permission from the property owner to be filming.
Kodi Swan, co-owner of MCM, was inside the brewery at the time. She understood why police responded to the 9-1-1 call. However, she was concerned that a shot was fired at one of her actors when Duff was complying with the officer’s orders.
“I am glad the police were doing their job,” Swan said. “My bigger concern is how close it came to being an issue with one of our actors. I get it, from my prior military service, they have to go with what they know and what they are seeing. Police officers have a very difficult job, especially when guns are involved. They don’t know if a gun is real or not and they have to react to what they know. I am concerned that our actor was complying and a gun was still fired.”
Director Steve Hesler said the actors were doing exactly as he had instructed for the robbery scene.
Movie company officials admit they did not notify local police about the filming.
link to bodycam footage (may not still be active) http://www.journalreview.com/news/article_39648194-a7a7-11e7-84ac-87298b4f2d7c.html
These idiots were filming 2 blocks from the police station and didn't bother to inform anyone they were making a movie.
State Police are now investigating why one local officer discharged his weapon even though the suspect immediately complied by dropping his gun.
quote:A Crawfordsville police officer discharged his service weapon Tuesday (9/26) evening at a suspected robber standing in front of Backstep Brewery on North Green Street. The suspect, who was actually filming a scene for the latest Montgomery County Movies production, was not injured as a bullet flew past him and possibly ricocheted off the brewery or its next door neighbor, the Journal Review.
Before the 7 p.m. incident, a woman driving north on Green Street noticed two men in black hoods, both with pistols. She immediately called 9-1-1 and reported a robbery.
Witnesses say they heard a single gunshot and came out of a business across from the Journal Review. They saw an officer with his gun drawn and saw the suspect drop to the ground while yelling, “It’s a movie.”
The suspect was actor Jim Duff. He ran out of the brewery as part of the movie scene, only to find an audience of police officers with weapons drawn. Duff immediately threw off his cloth mask and dropped the air gun he was holding.
“As I came out of the brewery and saw the officers, I quickly complied and threw off the mask and dropped the gun,” Duff said. “The next thing I know I heard a gun shot and something buzz by my head.”
Fragments of the bullet were found lying in the street in front of the north end of the Journal Review building.
MCM owner Philip Demoret was the second man dressed as a bandit in the scene. He was not outside at the time of the incident but was standing next to the glass door. He heard officers yelling as he started to exit and backed off immediately.
As he peaked out the door he saw several officers with guns drawn and still yelling at Duff to get on the ground before he heard the shot.
“I saw Jim do exactly what the police were telling him to do,” Demoret said.
Demoret and MCM had permission from the property owner to be filming.
Kodi Swan, co-owner of MCM, was inside the brewery at the time. She understood why police responded to the 9-1-1 call. However, she was concerned that a shot was fired at one of her actors when Duff was complying with the officer’s orders.
“I am glad the police were doing their job,” Swan said. “My bigger concern is how close it came to being an issue with one of our actors. I get it, from my prior military service, they have to go with what they know and what they are seeing. Police officers have a very difficult job, especially when guns are involved. They don’t know if a gun is real or not and they have to react to what they know. I am concerned that our actor was complying and a gun was still fired.”
Director Steve Hesler said the actors were doing exactly as he had instructed for the robbery scene.
Movie company officials admit they did not notify local police about the filming.
link to bodycam footage (may not still be active) http://www.journalreview.com/news/article_39648194-a7a7-11e7-84ac-87298b4f2d7c.html