EXCLUSIVE It was one bullet that discharged from the prop gun on the Santa Fe movie “Rust” and killed the director of photography and wounded the movie’s director.
An eyewitness on set tells this column that the bullet went straight through the body of DP Halyna Hutchins and into the clavicle of the film’s director Joel Souza.
Very quickly the set was locked down. Ambulance and helicopters arrived. Hutchins and Souza were sent straight to the hospital. Hutchins died en route in a helicopter.
On the ground, Baldwin was in shock but composed. He kept asking why he was handed a “hot gun.” Our eyewitness said Baldwin kept saying “In all my years, I’ve never been handed a hot gun.”
“A hot gun” means a gun with real ammunition.
Baldwin, not knowing the fate of the victims, was taken immediately to the hospital. “He had no idea how badly they were hurt or Halyna was dead.”
“Rust” is a Tier 1 one movie, meaning it was being produced for under $6 million. Our source says: “They had safety meetings every day but it was a Tier I movie, so they probably didn’t have more than 1 prop person.” According to the imdb, there was one key medic on the staff and two stunt people.
Whatever happened on the set, Alec Baldwin certainly didn’t intend for this outcome. And “Rust” is done. Sources say the production has been halted but as with the movie about Gregg Allman’s life, in which a crew member was killed because of negligence, lawsuits will now override any chance to that movie being finished.
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