The Alex Baldwin Anti-Gun Shooting By John Steele
Woke ultra-anti-gun actor Alex Baldwin was on the set of his Western movie, Rust, and accidentally shot dead cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 48. A second shot injured Rust director Joel Souza, but some reports have it that the same .45 Long Colt bullet did it by passing through Hutchins’ body. This was a terrible accident, but one which should have been prevented by safety measures, after the death some time back of martial arts legend Bruce Lee’s son Brandon Lee, on the set of the movie The Crow. Brandon Lee was killed by the residue of lead inside a pistol which was discharged when a blank was fired. The gun was not checked.
It seems that something worse than this occurred, with real bullets being in the gun, from a mix up with target shooting at the set. This occurred due to the negligence of a non-union worker, who was brought in after union workers had walked off the set due to safety concerns. Baldwin was told that the gun was safe, but he had a duty of care to check it himself, and point it in a safe direction, not at Hutchins. But, as a radical anti-gun advocate in real life, he probably did not have firearms training, only banning that which he did not understand.
Perhaps the anti-gun lobby should now take aim at Hollywood, lobbying for banning guns in all movies, just to be consistent. See how that flies!
“The crew member in charge of the prop gun that Alec Baldwin accidentally killed a cinematographer with was hired to fill in at the last-minute, it has been claimed.
Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 48, was shot dead on the New Mexico set of Rust, in a horror incident when the prop Baldwin discharged fired real bullets.
It came as Baldwin addressed the tragedy, saying he was “broken” and in a state of “shock”. No charges have been laid.
New York Post reported that a non-union worker – who was hired to replace a union member – was in charge of the prop gun.
The yet-to-be-identified worker was “just brought in” prior to the fatal shooting that killed Hutchins and injured Rust director Joel Souza, a source said.
The Post reported that a crew of “unionised workers” had walked off the set at the Bonanza Creek Ranch over safety concerns before Baldwin, 68, fired the gun later that day.
Those workers were replaced by a non-union crew, the source said.
It was also alleged that the prop gun misfired on three prior occasions during the week, per the Los Angeles Times.
“There was a serious lack of safety meetings on this set,” a source said.
Audio of the 911 obtained by gossip site TMZ was released, featuring a frantic call by a woman who identified herself to the operator as the movie’s script supervisor.
“We need help immediately,” she said.
She could be heard blaming the incident on someone whose name was apparently bleeped out.
“He’s supposed to check the gun,” she is heard saying in the call to 911.
‘MY HEART IS BROKEN’: BALDWIN
Baldwin broke his silence after accidentally shooting a cinematographer dead on set, saying his “heart is broken”.
Cinematographer Hutchins, 42, died from her injuries while director Souza, 48, was hospitalised with a gunshot wound to his shoulder after the actor fired a prop gun on the set of period drama, Rust.
“There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours,” Baldwin said in a statement.
“I’m fully co-operating 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.”
Hutchins’ grieving husband, Matthew, told the Daily Mail that he had spoken to Baldwin and that the actor was “being very supportive”.
Sources close to Baldwin told the New York Post the actor is “devastated” by the tragedy.
Insiders say Baldwin is so distraught after his prop weapon there are immediate concerns about his mental health.
A source close to the star told the New York Post, “Alec is absolutely devastated, distraught, in shock and in disbelief how this could have happened.
“Yes, he can be hot-headed, but deep down Alec has a very good heart.
“But he’s a fragile guy, and we don’t know how he will ever come to terms with this.”
The tragic accident happened Thursday afternoon while Baldwin was filming the Western film Rust at Bonanza Creek Ranch in Sante Fe.
According to a report, the bullet Baldwin fired from the prop gun first struck director of photography Hutchins — then exited her body and hit director Souza’s clavicle.
The movie set was quickly locked down and Hutchins and Souza were rushed to a hospital via helicopter, according to the report. Hutchins died while being transported.
GUN CONTAINED ‘LIVE ROUND’
It also emerged that the prop gun fired by Baldwin reportedly contained a “live round”.
Hutchins was killed and director Joel Souza hospitalised after the incident on set of the film, which was shooting in New Mexico.
A union that covers prop masters sent an email to its members on Friday morning local time in which it said “a single live round was accidentally fired on set by the principal actor”, according to Indie Wire.
Anthony Pawluc, secretary-treasurer of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 44, wrote that the bullet struck “both the Director of Photography, Local 600 member Halnya Hutchins, and Director Joel Souza,” the site reported.
“Local 44 has confirmed that the Props, Set Decoration, Special Effects and Construction Departments were staffed by New Mexico crew members. There were no Local 44 members on the call sheet,” the email cited by Indie Wire.
Souza’s representatives confirmed to Deadline on Friday morning local time that the director was released from Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe.
The 42-year-old Hutchins was reportedly shot in the stomach when Baldwin fired the gun during filming and rushed to the University of New Mexico Hospital by helicopter, but was pronounced dead at the hospital. Souza was shot in the shoulder.
Immediately after the incident, an eyewitness told Hollywood site Showbiz 411 that Baldwin allegedly started asking how he could have been given a “hot gun” – meaning a firearm loaded with real ammunition.
“In all my years, I’ve never been handed a hot gun,” the actor allegedly kept saying.
The witness said Baldwin was in shock after the ordeal and he “had no idea how badly they were hurt or Halyna was dead”.
The tragic accident unfolded while Baldwin was filming his upcoming western film Rust at Bonanza Creek Ranch in Sante Fe.
Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, died and director, Joel Souza, 48, “were shot when a prop firearm was discharged by Alec Baldwin,” the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said.
The film set was sent into lockdown and production was halted immediately after the accidental double shooting, which unfolded at about 2pm local time (7am AEDT).
Hutchins was flown to the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque where she died from her injuries.
Photos showed Baldwin crying on the phone and bent over in the car park of a Santa Fe police station where he had been taken for questioning.
Hutchins’ death was confirmed by the Sheriff’s office, who received a 911 call reporting the incident.
“The Santa Fe County sheriff’s office confirms that two individuals were shot during filming of a scene on the set of the movie western ‘Rust’,” the office said in its initial statement. “According to investigators it appears that the scene being filmed involved the use of a prop firearm when it was discharged. Detectives are investigating how and what type of projectile was discharged.”
No charges have currently been filed and detectives are still interviewing witnesses.
Rust Movie Productions LLC said in a statement: “The entire cast and crew has been absolutely devastated by today’s tragedy, and we send our deepest condolences to Halyna’s family and loved ones.
“We have halted production on the film for an undetermined period of time and are fully co-operating with the Santa Fe Police Department’s investigation. We will be providing counselling services to everyone connected to the film as we work to process this awful event.”
Police were called to the set of the Alec Baldwin film Rust following the tragedy.
“We received the devastating news this evening, that one of our members, Halyna Hutchins, the Director of Photography on a production called ‘Rust’ in New Mexico died from injuries sustained on the set,” John Lindley, the president of the guild, and Rebecca Rhine, the executive director, said in a statement.
“The details are unclear at this moment, but we are working to learn more, and we support a full investigation into this tragic event. This is a terrible loss, and we mourn the passing of a member of our Guild’s family.”
“What a heartbreaking loss,” Oscar-winner Patricia Arquette tweeted. “Sending prayers to Joel Souza. I’m sure everyone is devastated.”
Halyna Hutchins who was shot on set by Alec Baldwin. Picture: Instagram
Actor Joe Manganiello, who worked with Hutchins on last year’s Archenemy, and Mia Farrow were among the actors expressing their disbelief and condolences following the tragedy.
“I’m in shock. I was so lucky to have had Halyna Hutchins as my DP on Archenemy. An incredible & great person,” tweeted Manganiello.
“I can’t believe this could happen in this day and age … gunfire from a prop gun could kill a crew member? What a horrible tragedy,” Manganiello added. “My heart goes out to her family.”
Mia Farrow tweeted, “Sorrow and absolute horror that cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed on set. This should never have happened. Thoughts with her family and friends.”
Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn weighed in as well.
“My greatest fear is that someone will be fatally hurt on one of my sets,” wrote Gunn. “I pray this will never happen. My heart goes out to all of those affected by the tragedy today on Rust, especially Halyna Hutchins & her family.”
In another tweet, Gunn said “there is no way” the accident could have happened “if every single person followed the rules”.
“That’s not me placing blame at any individual’s doorstep; I don’t know all the facts. But with everyone following proper protocol it could not have occurred,” the director said.
The family of Brandon Lee, who was killed in 1993 by a prop gun on the set of The Crow, also spoke out.
“Our hearts go out to the family of Halyna Hutchins and to Joel Souza and all involved in the incident on ‘Rust’. No one should ever be killed by a gun on a film set. Period,” read a tweet from the account of Lee, run by his sister Shannon.
Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood said that Hutchins’ death was “absolutely horrifying”.
“My heart goes out to her family,” he tweeted.
Police were called to the set of the Alec Baldwin film Rust following the tragedy.
Just minutes before Baldwin pulled the trigger on a prop gun accidentally killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his new movie Rust, he had posted photos of himself online.
“Back in person at the office,” Baldwin wrote on social media showing himself dressed in character western clothing.
“Blimey … it’s exhausting,” he posted.
Baldwin’s film location at Bonanza Creek Ranch in Sante Fe was sent into lockdown and production was stopped.
A production spokesperson said it was an “accident”.
“There was an accident today on the New Mexico set of Rust involving the misfire of a prop gun with blanks,” the spokesperson told Deadline.HOW A PROP GUN WORKS
There are different types of prop guns used on TV and movie sets.
Apart from toy and replica guns there are blank-fire non-guns, which are prop guns, made of metal, with moving parts, capable of firing blank cartridges. These typically feature a working slide, trigger, and hammer. These are designed to use blank cartridges and real “live” ammunition cannot be chambered or fired.
Blank-fire live-guns are also used. They are real, live fire-guns which are converted to fire blank ammunition. Just like real firearms, they are imprinted with unique serial numbers at the time of manufacture. The firearm is modified to fire blank ammunition, which is sized to match the real ammunition.
Dave Brown, a professional firearms instructor who works on film and TV sets as a firearms safety co-ordinator, has warned that there are risks even with fake firearms.
“I never forget that if an actor makes a mistake, they get another take, but if a weapons handler makes a mistake, it will make headlines in the morning,” he wrote in an article entitled Filming with Firearms.
Mr Brown said a blank cartridge contains no bullet — the actual projectile part of a cartridge — but is loaded with enough gunpowder to create a bright flash at the end of the barrel, thereby convincing the audience that the gun has been fired.
Mr Brown said blanks expel gunpowder and hot gases out of the front of the barrel in a cone shape. This is harmless at longer ranges, but he has said the explosion can seriously injure someone if it’s too close.
According to TMZ, sources said either shrapnel or a bullet struck Hutchins and Souza. Baldwin was not injured in the tragic incident.
Hutchins graduated from the American Film Institute in 2015, and had worked on several short films before shooting Archenemy, a 2020 feature starring Joe Manganiello.
She was named a “rising star” by American Cinematographer in 2019.
Baldwin was a co-producer on Rust, as well as starring as Harland Rust, an outlaw with a price on his head.
In the indie 19th century Western, Baldwin’s character travels to Kansas to break his estranged 13-year-old grandson out of prison after he is convicted of murder and is sentenced to hang, and the two go on the run together trying to evade the law and survive the harsh wilderness.
Australian actor Travis Fimmel co-stars as one of the men on his tail trying to bring him to justice, and the movie also stars Frances Fisher, Jensen Ackles, and Brady Noon.
Rust was shooting at Bonanza Creek Ranch in New Mexico, which has also hosted productions including Cowboys and Aliens with Daniel Craig and the Russell Crowe Western, The 3:10 to Yuma.
Filming for Rust was set to continue into early November, according to the New Mexico Film Office.”
Perhaps not any more, for Rust may end up now … rusting!
I don’t like Baldwin, but the plot of Rust sounds reasonable, and I wouldn’t mind watching it someday on my laptop, plugged into a tree, out here in the wilds of Victoria, the real Wild West. The latest is that Baldwin might face charges of negligent manslaughter, and certainly civil suits:
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