Halyna Hutchins and Joel Souza, film crew members of the upcoming movie “Rust,” were both accidentally shot by Alec Baldwin on Oct. 21. The shooting led to Hutchins’s death and left Souza injured.
The shooting occurred on the twelfth day of shooting for “Rust” during an International Alliance of Theater Stage Employees (IATSE) strike for higher pay and safer on-set working conditions. Members of the set complained of prop guns unintentionally firing off three times before this incident.
According to Deadline, Dave Halls, the assistant director of the film, handed the gun to Baldwin, announcing it was a “cold gun” to signify there were no live rounds in the weapon. Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was the armorer, the on-set personnel who handles and maintains prop-weapons, for the film.
Both Halls and Gutierrez-Reed have been criticized previously on separate film sets for disregarding safety protocols and mishandling prop-guns. In one incident, Nicolas Cage yelled at Gutierrez-Reed for discharging a weapon without notifying any cast or crew beforehand. Halls was also fired from the set of “Freedom’s Path” after injuring a crew member from a weapon discharging.
After the shooting, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s office and the film’s production company announced it launched an investigation into how the event occurred.
Baldwin announced in a twitter post on Oct. 22 that he will work with investigators. He said, “My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna.”
The event has sparked a large debate on the safety of using real guns as props on movie sets. Many have compared this shooting to Brandon Lee on the set of “The Crow.” Lee was fatally shot on set in 1993 from a prop weapon firing a live round.
Lee’s sister, Shannon, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, called for a ban of using prop guns on film sets. “With all the special effects that are possible and all of the technology” she said, “there is no reason to have a prop gun or a gun on a set that can fire a projectile of any sort.”
Alex Ross
Alex Rossis a third-year Communication student at Lock Haven with a focus in Journalism. This is his second year as an active member of the Eagle Eye and has been the Arts and Entertainment editor, News editor, and an active writer. He focuses on writing reviews for the A&E section, but has written stories for news, sports, and opinions. Outside of the newsroom, Alex enjoys record shopping, reading classic literature, and analyzing films. Alex hopes to work for a film or music news site as a writer or editor after graduation.
