While rehearsing a scene for his film “Rust,” Alec Baldwin accidentally fired off a loaded gun, that was claimed to be empty, and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and struck director Mr. Souza in the shoulder. Ms. Hutchins was airlifted to a hospital in Albuquerque, where she later died, and Mr. Souza, was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Santa Fe and was released the next day.
According to three formal members of the film’s crew there were at least 2 accidental incidents were a gun went of and in both incidents Ms. Hutchins was nearby, they both happened 16 days prior to the fatal shooting. The crew were rehearsing a “cross drawing” scene which led to the fatal shot. A “cross drawing” scene is a scene that involves a revolver and pointing it toward the camera lens. Despite the film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, checking and stating the gun was cold the question for how a live round got in the gun has still remained a mystery.
Fatal shootings during film production isn’t something new, in fact the Rust incident is the 43rd fatal shooting during movie production in history since 1990. It’s upsetting that only now has spurred calls for change inside and outside of the film and television industry.
The governor of New Mexico, Michelle Lujan Grisham, even stated that, “If the industry doesn’t come forward with very specific accountable safeguards, they should expect that we will.”
Written by staff writer, Justin Ramirez