A Tragedy has Struck; Helyna Hutchins Fatally Shot
On Friday, Oct. 22, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Alec Baldwin accidentally shot and killed cinematographer Helyna Hutchins on the set of his new movie, “Rust.” Baldwin was filming a scene where he was portraying a western outlaw cornered by police, who had to shoot his way out. The gun was given to him by Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who is 24 and was just starting her career as a head armorer on sets of movies and TV shows. She has since been fired. The crew had been reassured by Gutierrez-Reed that the gun was cold, but it actually had a round of ammunition inside of it. When Baldwin took his shot, it shot straight through the chest of the cinematographer, which killed her. The bullet also hit the director, Mr. Souza, although he is okay.
New Mexico law enforcement is still investigating the accident to try and determine whether the situation involves negligence, or if it was just an accident. The incident also raised questions about whether or not proper safety procedures were followed on the set of “Rust,” as multiple crew members had quit before the shooting even happened, making the ongoing investigation tricky. The events leading up to the fatal shooting were not perfect, as days before Hutchins was shot, two accidental gun discharges alarmed crew members. A former crew member of the movie spoke out after the shooting, stating that it was the most unorganized set they have ever seen. The assistant director, Dave Halls, told investigators that he failed to check all the rounds in the gun before handing it to Baldwin, and Gutierrez-Reed states that she does not know how live ammunition got into the gun, as only a few people had access to the safe where the gun was kept.
After the shooting, Baldwin was brought in for questioning at the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s office. No charges were filed against him as he seemed very distraught and was in tears during the interrogation and over the phone. The Hutchins had a husband and a nine-year-old son, who are clearly devastated and in shock. However, they do not blame Baldwin for what happened, and they stated that Baldwin has been very supportive in the last week. Close sources to Baldwin say that he is distraught and inconsolable, and is taking time off with his family in Vermont.
Our thoughts go out to the family of Hutchins in their time of grief and during the ongoing investigation, we hope peace and closure is in the near future.