It happened on the 21st October 2021.
A normal day of filming turned into hell on earth as a gun that was declared safe discharged a live round and killed a promising young cinematographer and wounded a director.
Life Never the Same
Since then, life has not been the same for many people.
The parents of Halyna Hutchins have lost their daughter in tragic circumstances, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armourer, is serving time for involuntary manslaughter and Alec Baldwin’s life has been turned upside down by his own trial for involuntary manslaughter.
Film in Trouble
The film “Rust” was in trouble even before the deadly shooting.
The day before it happened, crew members had quit the set saying they were concerned about safety. It was said that guns had already been accidentally discharged and explosives set off close to crew members.
Gun Declared Safe
On the day of the shooting, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed loaded a six-shot pistol with rounds she thought were safe ‘dummy’ rounds.
The assistant director, Dave Halls, who was also convicted in the aftermath of the shooting, handed the pistol to Alec Baldwin and told him that it was a ‘cold gun’ – that is, a gun with no rounds in it.
Baldwin’s Shot Killed Hutchins
After being handed the pistol, Baldwin practised his move with it prior to filming the scene.
He had to draw the weapon from a holster on the opposite side of his body and then point it at the camera. What no one expected is that the weapon would actually fire. But it did. The death which resulted has been the subject of much news coverage ever since.
Baldwin’s Trial
In January 2023, Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed were both charged with involuntary manslaughter.
The process has been convoluted and fraught with complexity as it involved so many people and so many grey areas – what consititutes ‘safe’ behaviour on a film set where firearms are used and actors are playing people who kill? How much should Alec Baldwin have known?
Dramatic Twist
In a dramatic twist on Friday 12th July, the case against Baldwin was dismissed by the judge.
The reason was that the state of New Mexico withheld crucial evidence which could have helped exonerate the actor.
Not Off the Hook
Alec Baldwin is not off the hook at this point.
He still faces civil lawsuits from Hutchins’ parents and sister which are ongoing. His criminal case is now over, however, as he cannot be charged with involuntary manslaughter a second time.
Greater Scrutiny for Movies
The case has spotlighted the issue of gun safety on movie sets.
Should real guns be allowed on movie sets? Hutchins is not the first crew member to have been killed on set by a gun going off. Firearms are only one of a number of health and safety risks faced by film crew in their line of work.
Rust has completed filming
You may think that the film “Rust” would have folded after the fatal incident.
In fact, it has carried on filming and has been completed fairly recently. Whether or not it will see the light of day remains to be seen.
