Alec Baldwin's Fatal Shot On Set: What Happened?
Assistant director "didn't know there was active ammunition in the prop," court documents say
Police officers from Santa Fe, New Mexico, surrendered early Thursday afternoon to the Bonanza Creek Ranch after an emergency call alerting them of a shooting on Rust Plateau. They found two people injured by a gun used as a prop on set and operated by lead actor and film producer Alec Baldwin.
Wounded in the stomach, Halyna Hutchins, 42, director of photography, was evacuated by helicopter to a hospital but succumbed to her injuries. Director Joel Souza, 48, was transported by ambulance to another hospital, where he was treated without spending the night there, according to an actress' Twitter post.
How did the facts unfold?
Citing court documents prepared by police to obtain a search warrant, the Santa Fe Reporter says the film crew was rehearsing a scene. The gunsmith had placed three weapons serving as accessories on a cart, an assistant director gave one of them to Alec Baldwin, saying "cold weapon", which in cinema jargon means that the weapon is not is not loaded.
The assistant director "didn't know there was active ammunition in the prop," the document said. The clothing worn by Alec Baldwin during the crash was turned over to investigators, along with the incident weapon and cartridge cases.
What happened to Alec Baldwin?
The 63-year-old actor was questioned by investigators. The Santa Fe Sheriff's Department said he spontaneously introduced himself to them, answering questions before leaving the scene. He was not arrested. Investigations continued on Friday and Alec Baldwin tweeted that he was "fully cooperating" with the police.
Who was Halyna Hutchins?
The shooting victim, Halyna Hutchins, was unanimously hailed by her colleagues as a talented and passionate filmmaker who quickly made a name for herself among the ranks of cinematographers in Hollywood. Originally from Ukraine, she grew up on a Soviet military base in the Arctic Circle "surrounded by reindeer and nuclear submarines," according to her website.
After her studies, she worked as a journalist in Ukraine and elsewhere in Europe, before joining the prestigious Conservatory of the American Film Academy (AFI) in Los Angeles in 2015. “Words are not enough to express the loss of someone so dear to the members of AFI, ”reacted the film school. Recently, Halyna Hutchins had worked on a detective film, Blindfire, and on Archenemy, a fantasy film produced by Elijah Wood. Rust, a western, was his first starring production.
Who is Joel Souza?
Injured in the accident, Joel Souza is a screenwriter and director who has worked in Hollywood for the past ten years. Originally from California, he made his 2010 debut with Hanna’s Treasure, a family adventure film starring late Beverly Hills 90210 star Luke Perry. He has since written or directed four other feature films, including the crime film Night shift: Night Patrol, which Alec Baldwin produced and in which he was originally scheduled to star.
What is Rust?
Rust's idea arose out of research by Joel Souza on the youngest person to be hanged in the Old West. Souza and Baldwin have made it a scenario around a wanted outlaw who flies to the rescue of his thirteen-year-old grandson, sentenced to death for an accidental homicide. Grandfather Harland Rust (Alec Baldwin) and grandson Lucas (Brady Noon) flee, pursued by law enforcement and a sinister bounty hunter, finding refuge in New Mexico.
