Here’s what we know about the tragic accident on the set of ‘Rust’

According to reports, seven crew members had walked off the set hours before the shooting in protest of the working conditions.
October 22, 2021 11:37 a.m. EST
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On October 21, while Alec Baldwin was filming a scene for his upcoming western, Rust, in New Mexico, a prop gun he fired accidentally hit director Joel Souza and and killed Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, and now more details are starting to emerge as officials are piecing together how the tragedy happened. At the time of press, a Change.org petition to ban the use of real firearms on set (as well as demanding for better crew working conditions) has reached over 25,000 signatures.

What court documents revealed

According to court records that were released on October 22, assistant director Dave Halls handed Baldwin a weapon from a cart that had been placed there by the film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez. Halls told Baldwin it was a “cold gun,” a.k.a. it was safe to use. However, the investigation revealed the gun was actually loaded with live rounds.

The report also revealed that Halls was unaware the weapon was loaded with live rounds, and that the cart had been placed just outside the structure (as per COVID protocols) where the scene was being filmed before lunch. It’s unclear whether the guns were checked again following the break.

“Joel said as far as he knows, no one gets checked for live ammunition on their person prior and after the scenes are being filmed,” reads the affidavit, as per the L.A. Times. “The only thing checked are the firearms to avoid live ammunition being in them. Joel stated there should never be live rounds whatsoever, near or around the scene.”

The incident itself took place after cameras were repositioned in order to capture better light with the moving sun. Baldwin was explaining how he was going to draw the gun and where his arm would be, when he pulled the gun from the holster and it discharged, striking Hutchins in her chest and Souza in his right shoulder.

The investigation remains ongoing, however at time of press no charges have been laid.

The crew had apparently expressed safety concerns before the shooting

As investigators continued doing their job over the weekend, reports that some of the film’s crew had walked off the set also surfaced. According to reports, seven crew members had walked off the set hours before the shooting in protest of the working conditions.

One camera crew member anonymously told The Associated Press that the problems ranged from housing conditions to safety procedures. (Notably, at least two previous misfires from a prop gun had happened leading up to the tragic events.) At the time of the shooting, non-union crew members had replaced those who walked.

“Though we were not made aware of any official complaints concerning weapon or prop safety on set, we will be conducting an internal review of our procedures while production is shut down,” the production company said in a statement following this development.

“We will continue to cooperate with the Santa Fe authorities in their investigation and offer mental health services to the cast and crew during this tragic time.”

Who is Hannah Gutierrez?

The 24-year-old is the daughter of a well-known Hollywood armorer named Thell Reed. She only began working as an armorer earlier this year, when she took up the job on the set of the Nicholas Cage movie The Old Way. At the time she told Voices of the West podcast that she was nervous about doing it, but that in the end it went really smoothly.

Film supervisor Jeffrey W. Crow supported Gutierrez to The L.A. Times, telling the publication that on that film he’d been impressed by her work. “Working with Hannah, I'm surprised that any of this happened under her watch,” he said. “I thought she was an exceptionally young, up-and-coming, very eager and talented armorer.”

After the fatal shooting on the Rust set, Gutierrez was given the gun and according to an affidavit, she removed a spent casing before turning the weapon over to the arriving duties. So far she has not commented on the incident.

Who was hurt?

Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, was airlifted to the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque where she was pronounced dead.

It all happened at Bonanza Creek Ranch in the middle of a scene that was being rehearsed.

According to IMDB, Hutchins was born in Ukraine and lived in Los Angeles, having graduated from the American Film Institute in 2015. She has since worked on more than 30 film and TV projects, and two years ago she was named a rising star by American Cinematographer magazine.

'Following Hutchins’ death, union Local 600 kicked off a GoFundMe page to raise funds for her family. At time of press more than 2,600 donors have given more than $200K, an amount that’s staggeringly more than the initial goal of $10,000.

Director and writer Joel Souza (Crown Vic) was also injured, and was taken by ambulance to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe. According to investigators, he was in critical condition, but The New York Times now reveals he was released from the hospital late on Thursday and is expected to make a full recovery.

Frances Fisher, one of the film’s stars, also confirmed the report in a post on Twitter.

How does something like this even happen?

The entire incident is currently under investigation as the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office interviews people who were on set at the time. Spokesperson Juan Rios told The New York Times that they are “trying to determine right now how and what type of projectile was used in the firearm.”

However, since news of the incident broke, some people have taken to social media to point fingers, with some even blaming Baldwin. In an informative TikTok video, actor Ethan Trace debunks those accusations, explaining the responsibility to ensure the safe use of guns on a set lies with the prop master and not the actor.

“A lot of people are going on social media right now saying that Alec Baldwin needs to be arrested because they think he murdered her. That is absolutely not true and it will not happen because it was an accident,” Trace says.

Has anything like this ever happened before?

Unfortunately, yes. In 1984 an actor named Jon-Erik Hexum was shooting the film Cover Up when he decided to start goofing around on set to try and lighten up the mood. According to reports at the time, he joked, “Can you believe this crap?” after yet another delay in production and then he put a .44 Magnum handgun loaded with a blank to his head.

Unaware of the dangers the 26-year-old fired, and the impact of the blank hitting his head caused a fracture that forced a bone fragment into his brain. Hexum underwent five hours of surgery but six days later he was declared brain dead.

Even more famous was the tragic 1993 incident in which Bruce Lee’s 28-year-old son, Brandon Lee, was shot and killed during a scene while filming The Crow. The prop gun had jammed, and according to the Bruce Lee Family Company website, his death prompted changes in safety standards on film sets today.

Brandon Lee’s official Twitter account, which is managed by his sister Shannon, responded to the Rust news on Friday by sending their condolences. “Our hearts go out to the family of Halyna Hutchins and to Joel Souza and all involved in the incident on 'Rust'. No one should ever be killed by a gun on a film set. Period,” it says.

How has production responded?

Rust tells the story of a 13-year-old boy who goes on the run with his estranged grandfather after the accidental killing of a rancher. Baldwin stars alongside Frances Fisher, Jensen Ackles, Travis Fimmel and Brady Noon.

In addition to starring in the film, Baldwin is also a producer. That’s typical of big-name actors on projects and although they have a say, the title often has more to do with salary and taxes. He released the following heartbreaking statements on Twitter:

The next day, Baldwin reportedly met with Hutchins’ husband, Matthew Hutchins, and their nine-year-old son, Andros, at La Posada in Santa Fe for breakfast, according to People. “Honestly, he didn’t look good,” an insider told the publication, adding that the group was “definitely sad.”

“I have spoken with Alec Baldwin and he is being very supportive," Matthew told the Daily Mail on Friday. “I don’t think there are words to communicate the situation,” he added in another interview with Insider, as per People.

“I am not going to be able to comment about the facts or the process of what we're going through right now, but I appreciate that everyone has been very sympathetic,” he added. “I think that we will need a little bit of time before we can really encapsulate her life in a way that is easy to communicate.”

The production company released a blanket statement shortly after the incident.

“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,” it wrote. “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 counselling services to everyone connected to the film as we work to process this awful event.”

According to the New Mexico Film Office, Rust employs 75 crew members, 22 actors and 230 background talent. It’s unknown how many of them were on set on Thursday when the incident occurred.

“The details are unclear at this moment, but we are working to learn more, and we support a full investigation into this tragic event,” said the International Cinematographers Guild in a  statement following the news. “This is a terrible loss, and we mourn the passing of a member of our Guild’s family.” 

 


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