To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Rust Director Recalls Moment Alec Baldwin Fatally Shot Halyna Hutchins

Rust Director Recalls Moment Alec Baldwin Fatally Shot Halyna Hutchins

Baldwin was rehearsing a scene on Thursday with a gun he was told was safe to use.

Jake Massey

Jake Massey

The director of Rust has recalled the moment Alec Baldwin fatally shot the film's cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins.

The actor was rehearsing a scene on Thursday (21 October) with a gun he was told was safe to use when it went off, tragically killing 42-year-old Hutchins.

Director Joel Souza - who was wounded - has now recounted how events on the set of the western in New Mexico unfolded in an affidavit seen by The New York Times.

Souza was wounded but was released from hospital later that day.
Alamy

Souza said Baldwin had been sitting in a wooden church pew and was rehearsing a scene that involved 'cross drawing' his gun and pointing it at the camera - using what had been described as a 'cold gun', meaning it was safe to use.

Meanwhile, Souza was stood behind Hutchins 'viewing the camera angle'.

Souza said he then heard what 'sounded like a whip and then a loud pop' and he saw Hutchins grab her midsection and stumble backwards, before noticing he was bleeding from his shoulder.

Asked about the behaviour of the crew prior to the incident, he said 'everyone was getting along' and there had been 'no altercations' to his knowledge.

Cameraman Reid Russell - who was standing nearby when the gun went off - said he 'remembered Joel having blood on his person, and Ms Hutchins speaking and saying she couldn't feel her legs'.

People have been mourning the death of Hutchins.
Alamy

Russell also said that several members of the camera crew had walked off the production on the day of the shooting in a dispute over payment and how far away from the set their lodgings were.

Crew members said they had been concerned by accidental prop gun discharges on the set, with Baldwin's stunt double accidentally firing two rounds the previous Saturday with a gun he'd been told was cold.

Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, a crew member said: "There should have been an investigation into what happened.

"There were no safety meetings. There was no assurance that it wouldn't happen again.

"All they wanted to do was rush, rush, rush."

Crew members had reportedly walked off the set hours before the accident.
Alamy

Baldwin - who was also a producer on the film - said his heart was broken following the 'tragedy'.

He said in a statement on Twitter: "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.

"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."

Featured Image Credit: Alamy

Topics: TV and Film, Celebrity, News, US News

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

X

@jakesmassey