Accidental Shooting On Set of Rust Leaves One Dead and One Injured

Jason VanHook, Staff Writer

 On October 21, 2021, the actor Alec Baldwin shot a prop gun, which was believed to be empty, while on the set of the film Rust, resulting in the death of one and the serious injury of another. Baldwin was drawing a prop gun and shooting it towards the camera.

The prop gun wasn’t supposed to be loaded with actual live rounds and had been classified as a “cold gun,” as was stated before the actor pulled the trigger. A “cold gun” is a prop gun that does not contain live rounds. The prop gun somehow ended up with actual rounds inside the chamber, resulting in the death of Halayna Hutchins, Director of Photography, and injuring Joel Souza, the Film’s Director. The incident happened at Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

A tweet was released on October 22 by Baldwin saying that “There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Haltna Hitchings, a wife, mother, and deeply admired colleague of ours. I’m fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred and I am in touch with her husband, offering my support to him and his family. My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna”.  

On November 8 a second tweet was released by Baldwin stating “Every film/TV set that uses guns, fake or otherwise, should have a police officer on set, hired by the production, to specifically monitor weapons safety.”

An investigation is currently underway by the Sante Fe Sheriff’s Department, no charges have been filed on Baldwin at this time.