On October 21st in New Mexico, Alec Baldwin, an acclaimed actor, was rehearsing for a scene for the upcoming film Rust where he would point a revolver at the camera lens. Dave Halls, the assistant director, yelled “cold gun,” which means there was no live ammunition in the gun, before he started using the gun. While rehearsing the scene, he fired the gun and shot Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer, in the chest and Joel Souza, the director, in the shoulder (nytimes.org).

After getting shot, Souza yelled, “What the —- was that? That burns!” while Hutchins said. “No, that was no good. That was no good at all.” Both of them were rushed to a hospital, and Hutchins was pronounced dead a few hours later. Baldwin was in shock after the shooting, as he repeated the words, “What the —- just happened?” multiple times (nypost.com). 

Shortly after the shooting, the Santa Fe Police Department started an investigation regarding the shooting, which aimed at figuring out how the shooting happened and what type of “projectile was used.” Baldwin was visibly distraught after the shooting, and being a notable anti-gun proponent, this incident shook him up for the days following. During the following weekend, he visited Hutchin’s family–her son and her husband–to comfort her family, as he was photographed in a Santa Fe Hotel with the family (independent.co.uk).

Then, Baldwin and his wife, Hilaria Baldwin, were sighted in Vermont together by the press who asked them questions regarding the tragic event. Baldwin responded by saying that he has been “ordered by the sheriff’s department in Santa Fe” and “can’t answer any questions regarding the investigation.” The press who spotted him did not know Hutchins name, which angered Baldwin. He then exclaimed that”this was an active investigation of a woman dying” and “she was [his] friend.” In addition, he includes that he has been reaching out to his family and Hutchin’s husband is “in shock” and “has a nine-year-old son.” Hilaria believes that Baldwin will develop PTSD and is “trying to limit it” (on.today.com).

Baldwin also says that the crew was like a “well-oiled machine,” but a few hours before the shooting, a few members of the camera crew protested working conditions by walking off the set. Those members said that the working and safety conditions were not adequate, as they cited the long hours, long commutes, missing paychecks, and, most relevantly, loosely followed safety procedures concerning gun inspections. A crew member stated that “there were no safety meetings for the film” and many of the crew just wanted to “rush, rush, rush,” and before the shooting, there were two accidental rounds fired (latimes.com).

Thus, it could be assumed that this unfortunate shooting could have been entirely prevented if they followed safety protocols and procedures to ensure the safety of the crew. Anonymous (10) believes that “it was a dumb mistake that should have been checked,” and this statement is entirely backed up by the crew that was demanding better and safer working conditions. In fact, a crew member is shooting a variety of figures on the set of Rust, including Alec Baldwin. The crew member, Serge Svetnoy, “accuses Baldwin, assistant director David Halls, armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed” of “negligence,” and he believes that caused him “severe emotional distress.” Also, he claims that there was “no reason” for a gun like the one that killed Hutchins to be on the set, and “the presence of the bullet in the revolver was a lethal threat to everyone in the vicinity” (cnn.com)

As investigations about the shooting continue to go on, it is important to remember the life of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. This shooting has sparked public outcry against real guns on the set of movies, and hopefully, in the future, events like this will be prevented through films taking sufficient measures with regards to weapons on the set.