While filming his movie Rust on Thursday, October 21, Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun that injured the director and killed another crew member.
The incident occurred at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico. According to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department, the weapon was “discharged” by the 30 Rock alum, 63, and Deadline later reported that production on the Western was paused.
“Mr. Baldwin came in voluntarily to speak with investigators,” sheriff’s office spokesman Juan Ríos noted in a statement, asserting that the situation would be treated like “any other investigation.”
Detectives were trying to determine “what type of projectile was discharged” as the set remained on lockdown. The victims — director Joel Souza and director of photography Halyna Hutchins — were rushed to receive medical attention after being struck. Hutchins, 42, was pronounced dead at University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque.
The 48-year-old filmmaker, for his part, was taken to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center via helicopter. While his condition was initially unknown, Deadline was told by Souza’s rep that he was released from the hospital on Friday, October 22.
The movie’s production company, Rust Movie Productions LLC, noted in a statement regarding the accident, “The entire cast and crew has been absolutely devastated by today’s tragedy, and we send our deepest condolences to Halyna’s family and loved ones. We have halted production on the film for an undetermined period of time and are fully cooperating with the Santa Fe Police Department’s investigation. We will be providing counseling services to everyone connected to the film as we work to process this awful event.”
Hutchins was originally from the Ukraine and had been sharing updates about the filming process with her Instagram followers ahead of her death. “One of the perks of shooting a western is you get to ride horses on your day off:),” she captioned a video of herself on Wednesday, October 20, as she joined a group on horseback.
The Emmy winner broke his silence on Hutchins’ death on Friday via Twitter, writing, “There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours. I’m fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred and I am in touch with her husband, offering my support to him and his family. My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna.”
Before Baldwin addressed the incident, tributes poured in for the late cinematographer.
“I’m in shock. I was so lucky to have had Halyna Hutchins as my DP on ‘Archenemy,'” Joe Manganiello tweeted. “An incredible talent & great person. I can’t believe this could happen in this day and age… gunfire from a prop gun could kill a crew member? What a horrible tragedy. My heart goes out to her family.”
Ava DuVernay left a comment on casting director Sidra Smith‘s Instagram post about Hutchins, writing, “Devastating. Absolutely horrific. Blessings to you during this difficult time, Sidra. And may her soul be at rest.”
Scroll down for the latest updates on the Rust shooting:
Hutchins was working as director of photography on Rust and was named one of American Cinematography's "rising stars" in the profession in 2019. She previously contributed to 2019's Darlin' and 2020's Blindfire, as well as AMC's The Walking Dead. She was pronounced dead on Thursday at University of New Mexico Hospital. James Gourley/Variety/Shutterstock
Souza is a California-based writer and director whose previous credits include 2015's Ghost Squad, 2017's Break Night and 2019's Crown Vic. According to Deadline, he was released from the hospital early Friday morning after sustaining injuries on set. Ron Adar/SOPA Images/Shutterstock
As of Thursday, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s office was in the midst of an "open and active" investigation, but no arrests were made. Baldwin was questioned by investigators — as were other members of the crew — but no charges were filed. Andrew H. Walker/Shutterstock
Only one round was discharged, and it grazed Souza but hit Hutchins in her shoulder, per The Los Angeles Times. Andres Leighton/AP/Shutterstock
That is the question investigators are still trying to answer. The assistant director called out “cold gun” when handing Baldwin the weapon, the AD wrote in an affidavit, according to the New York Times. “Cold” means no ammunition is in the gun. The crew member “did not know live rounds were in the prop gun,” Detective Joel Cano declared in an affidavit. Jae C Hong/AP/Shutterstock
The LA Times reports that several crew members walked off set to protest working conditions hours ahead of the fatal accident. They accused the production of not properly following safety protocols, including gun inspections. The workers claimed that there were two accidental gun discharges on set before, with Baldwin’s stunt double allegedly firing a gun that was announced as “cold” only to find a live round in it. “There should have been an investigation into what happened,” a crew member alleged to the LA Times. “There were no safety meetings. There was no assurance that it wouldn’t happen again. All they wanted to do was rush, rush, rush.” Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
Many film and TV sets are taking action and vowing not to risk having “hot” or “live” — meaning loaded — weapons on set. ABC’s police drama The Rookie has officially banned live rounds. “As of today, it is now policy on The Rookie that all gunfire on set will be with Air Soft guns with CG muzzle flashes added in post,” showrunner Alexi Hawley wrote in a memo obtained by The Hollywood Reporter on Friday, October 22. “There will be no more ‘live’ weapons on the show. The safety of our cast and crew is too important.” Amazon Prime’s The Boys, which is known for its violent action sequences, will also forgo live rounds. Showrunner Eric Kripke, who worked with Rust cast member Jensen Ackles on Supernatural and The Boys, announced the news on Friday via Twitter. “In [Hutchins’] memory, a simple, easy pledge: no more guns with blanks on any of my sets ever. We'll use VFX muzzle flashes. Who's with me?” he wrote. Eric McCandless/ABC/Kobal/Shutterstock
This is not the first time a prop gun has led to fatalities on a film set. In 1993, the late Brandon Lee was killed during filming for The Crow after an improperly loaded prop gun was fired. His sister, Shannon Lee, reacted to the Rust incident on Thursday. "Our hearts go out to the family of Halyna Hutchins and to Joel Souza and all involved in the incident on 'Rust,'" she tweeted via a memorial account set up for her brother. "No one should ever be killed by a gun on a film set. Period." Pressman/Most/Kobal/Shutterstock
"I am gutted by the loss of my friend and colleague, Halyna," Souza said in a statement. "She was kind, vibrant, incredibly talented, fought for every inch and always pushed me to be better. My thoughts are with her family at this most difficult time. I am humbled and grateful by the outpouring of affection we have received from our filmmaking community, the people of Santa Fe, and the hundreds of strangers who have reached out. It will surely aid in my recovery." Kristina Bumphrey/StarPix/Shutterstock
According to Deadline, assistant director David Halls, who handed Baldwin a prop gun moments before it was discharged, was "removed from set immediately" after the accident. Producers told the outlet that an incident report was filed and a new assistant director was brought in. Andres Leighton/AP/Shutterstock
On October 22, a Rust crewmember named Serge Svetnoy shared a photo of Hutchins that he claimed was taken shortly before the fatal shooting. “This is the last photo with Halyna on set,” he wrote via Facebook. The snapshot showed the cinematographer shooting a scene with Baldwin in a small church on the New Mexico set. Two days later, Svetnoy shared an emotional post in which he revealed that he “was holding [Hutchins] in my arms while she was dying. Her blood was on my hands,” he wrote via Facebook on October 24. In that same message, the electrician stated that, in his opinion, Hutchins’ death was “the fault of negligence and unprofessionalism.” Courtesy of Halyna Hutchins/Instagram
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed during a press conference on October 27 that a lead bullet was recovered from Souza’s shoulder after he was taken to the hospital. The bullet is believed to be the one that fatally struck Hutchins. Police also collected approximately 600 items of evidence, including 500 rounds of ammunition from the set, which were a mixture of “blanks, dummy rounds and what we are suspecting were live rounds,” according to Mendoza. MediaPunch/Shutterstock
Hannah Gutierrez Reed was the armorer — or person in charge of firearms — on the set of Rust. During a September episode of the “Voices of West” podcast, the former model admitted “the best part” of her job was “just showing people who are normally kind of freaked out by guns how safe they can be and how they’re not really problematic unless put in the wrong hands.” Reed is the daughter of longtime armorer Thell Reed, who was Brad Pitt’s shooting coach on the 2007 film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. However, the 24-year-old had only worked on one movie before landing the role of head armorer on Baldwin's western. The Hollywood rookie noted she had “figured” out most of the job's requirements on “my own” and said that “loading blanks” is the “scariest thing to me.” Jae C Hong/AP/Shutterstock
Gutierrez Reed's lawyers, Jason Bowles and Robert Gorence, released a statement to Us on October 29. "First Hannah would like to extend her deepest and most sincere condolences to the family and friends of Halyna," the statement read, referring to Hutchins as "an inspirational woman in film who Hannah looked up to." The statement went on to allege that she had been "slandered" in the aftermath of the shooting. "Safety is Hannah’s number one priority on set. Ultimately this set would never have been compromised if live ammo were not introduced," the lawyers claimed on her behalf. "Hannah has no idea where the live rounds came from. Hannah and the prop master gained control over the guns and she never witnessed anyone shoot live rounds with these guns and nor would she permit that. They were locked up every night and at lunch and there’s no way a single one of them was unaccounted for or being shot by crew members. Hannah still, to this day, has never had an accidental discharge." Though there have been reports that there were two accidental discharges in other situations on set, Gutierrez Reed's lawyers allege that others were at fault. "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," they alleged. Myung J Chun/Los Angeles Times/Shutterstock
Gutierrez Reed's lawyers suggested that the blame for the fatal accident lay with other filmmakers. "Hannah was hired on two positions on this film, which made it extremely difficult to focus on her job as an armorer," they said in the October 29 statement. "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. This was not the fault of Hannah." Andres Leighton/AP/Shutterstock
While in Vermont on October 30, Baldwin told news outlets that he couldn't say much about the incident, but he is cooperating with authorities and mourning the death of Hutchins. "I’ve been ordered by the sheriff’s department in Santa Fe, I can’t answer any questions about the investigation," Baldwin said. "I can’t — it’s an active investigation in terms of a woman died. She was my friend.” Kristina Bumphrey/StarPix/Shutterstock
The actor, who also produced the film, explained that he met with Hutchins' husband as well as her son to offer support. "The guy is overwhelmed with grief," Baldwin said on October 30. "There are incidental accidents on film sets from time to time but nothing like this. This is a one in a trillion event, and so he is in shock [and] has a 9-year-old son. We are in constant contact with him. We’re very worried about his family and his kid, and we’re eagerly awaiting for the sheriff’s department telling us what their investigation has yielded.” Andres Leighton/AP/Shutterstock
Dave Halls, the assistant director on Rust, released a statement in which he praised his “friend” Hutchins. “I’m shocked and saddened by her death,” he said. “It’s my hope that this tragedy prompts the industry to reevaluate its values and practices to ensure no one is harmed through the creative process again.” He continued, “My thoughts are with all who knew and loved Halyna.” Halls did not address the details of the incident or the reports that he was the one who handed Baldwin the gun involved in the shooting. Jae C Hong/AP/Shutterstock
Baldwin reposted a thread from Terese Magpale Davis, who worked on Rust as a costume designer, outlining what they allege really happened on set. Davis’ post, which the actor shared via his Instagram account on November 2, claimed “the story being spun of us being overworked and surrounded by unsafe, chaotic conditions is bulls—t.” Davis stated that she “never worked more than a 12.5-hour shoot day,” saying that only happened once and “most days” were under the 12-hour mark. She recalled the day that Hutchins died, saying, “We had come off a 12-hour turnaround after an 11-hour shoot day,” noting they had a “56-hour weekend right before” the prolonged day. “No one was too tired to do their jobs,” she said. She refuted claims that the producers on the film didn’t care about their crew, writing, “They were some of the most approachable and warm producers I’ve ever worked with.” Davis explained that “concerns were heard and addressed” by the producers. According to her, the crew had a union rep who told production “not to give in to the camera crew” demands because they were asking for things that “the union does not require.” Davis alleged that she has spoken with the producers on the project since the accident, and they told her they have chosen not to defend themselves against the “blatantly false accusations” because they want the “focus to be on Halyna” and they want to “grieve and recover.” Kristina Bumphrey/StarPix/Shutterstock
Matthew Hutchins, the husband of the late cinematographer, has retained California-based law firm Panish Shea Boyle Ravipudi, according to Deadline. The firm specializes in personal injury and wrongful death litigation. Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
“Every film/TV set that uses guns, fake or otherwise, should have a police officer on set, hired by the production, to specifically monitor weapons safety,” Baldwin tweeted on November 8. The actor, who has now made his Twitter profile private, also shared a screenshot of the tweet via his Instagram page. Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock
More than a month after the tragedy, Halyna has been laid to rest. Her husband, Matthew, confirmed that a funeral was held on the weekend of Saturday, November 20, ET reports. Matthew revealed that Hutchins' grave marker has her name followed by ASC, indicating her association with The American Society of Cinematographers. The late mother's headstone also features images of a camera and film reel, emphasizing her passion for moviemaking. Underneath her years of birth and death is an inspirational quote: "Her light shapes our lives. Keep chasing your vision." Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
The It's Complicated actor sat down for an in-depth interview with ABC News more than one month after the tragedy, opening up about the aftermath of the shooting. In a clip from the December 2021 special, Baldwin cried while reflecting on what went wrong on set. "The trigger wasn't pulled. I didn't pull the trigger," he said. "I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger at them. Never. I have no idea [how a bullet got in there]. Someone put a live bullet in a gun. A bullet that wasn't even supposed to be on the property." Baldwin went on to say the incident was the "worst thing" that's ever happened to him, explaining, "Because I think back and I think, 'What could I have done?'" Lumeimages/MEGA
Baldwin confessed during his first sit-down interview about the incident that he didn't feel guilty, revealing, "I might have killed myself if I felt that I was responsible. I don't say that lightly." He continued to deny pulling the trigger, asserting that he was simply following Hutchins' directions on set. "I've been told by people who are in the know, in terms of even inside the state, that it's highly unlikely that I would be charged with anything criminally," he added. ABC News
Baldwin shared a two-page letter via Instagram in December 2021 that was written by the Rust crew, which defended the film’s production. The writers of the note clarified that the note had "not been sanctioned or influenced in any way by the producers,” but was intended to "express a more accurate account" of their "workplace tragedy." The letter stated that Hutchins was the “heart of the production” and “losing her hurt every single one of us." "We are hurting from the loss of our togetherness, our spirit, and the loss of our labor,” the message continued. “We are hurting for our friends that have been targeted by the public as they themselves grieve." While those who worked on the film said the production had its challenges, “the descriptions of Rust as a chaotic, dangerous, and exploitative workplace are false and distract from what matters the most: the memory of Halyna Hutchins, and the need to find modern alternatives to outdated industry firearm and safety practices.” imageSPACE/Shutterstock
Police sought a warrant to obtain the Boss Baby actor's cell phone in December 2021, according to Deadline, requesting the device to determine whether there might be "any evidence relating to the death investigation of Halyna Hutchins." A judge signed off on the paperwork, which stated, "Such information, if it exists, may be material and relevant to this investigation." At the time, Baldwin's lawyer noted, "We are confident that the evidence will show that Mr. Baldwin is not responsible civilly or criminally for what occurred on October 21, and he continues to cooperate with authorities." John Sheene/Ace Pictures/Shutterstock
As more details continued to emerge, Baldwin denied a report claiming he asked for a larger prop weapon on the movie set. "This, in fact is a lie," he tweeted in December 2021. "The choices regarding any props by me for the film RUST were made weeks before production began. To suggest that any changes were made 'before fatal shooting' is false." Gregory Pace/Shutterstock
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