What did Alec Baldwin say about the Rust prop gun shooting accident?
ON OCTOBER 21, 2021, actor Alec Baldwin accidentally shot two people with a prop gun while on the set of his new movie, Rust.
Charges were later filed against the actor but they will reportedly be dropped.
What did Alec Baldwin say about the Rust prop gun shooting accident?
Since the shooting happened, Alec Baldwin has spoken out several times.
One of the first statements he made was on October 22, 2021, when he said: "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," he added.
"My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna."
Following the accident, Baldwin was seen sobbing outside a local police station in Santa Fe, , after he was questioned by police.
A few months later, Baldwin spoke with and denied having any responsibility for Hutchins' death. Instead, he placed the blame on Hannah Gutierrez Reed, Rust's armorer, and assistant director Dave Halls, who handed him the gun.
“Someone put a live bullet in the gun who should have known better,” Baldwin told the outlet.
“That was [Gutierrez Reed’s] job. Her job was to look at the ammunition and put in the dummy round or the blank round, and there wasn’t supposed to be any live rounds on the set.
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“There are two people who didn’t do what they were supposed to do,” he added.
“I’m not sitting there saying I want them to, you know, go to prison, or I want their lives to be hell. I don’t want that, but I want everybody to know that those are the two people that are responsible for what happened.
“Why didn’t [Gutierrez Reed] check that bullet? Why didn’t Halls obey her?” Baldwin continued.
“Why did he give me the gun? Why didn’t he check? Why did he tell the crew [it was a cold gun]?”
In January 2023, Baldwin was officially charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the case, which could have led to an 18-month prison sentence, but on April 20, it was announced that the prosecutors planned on dropping the charges.
“We are pleased with the decision to dismiss the case against Alec Baldwin and we encourage a proper investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic accident,” Baldwin's lawyers, Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, said in a statement, via .
Gutierrez Reed was also charged in connection with the shooting but the case against her is expected to proceed, according to Variety.
Who did Alex Baldwin shoot?
When the prop gun went off, Baldwin hit 42-year-old Halyna Hutchins and 49-year-old Joel Souza.
As a result, Hutchins passed away while Souza was left in critical condition, but he has since recovered and was released from the hospital.
Hutchins was known as a cinematographer and was the director of photography on the new film while Souza serves as the director.
She was survived by her husband, Matthew, and their son.
Has anyone else died from prop accidents before?
When the news first hit that Hutchins had died following a prop-related injury, many were reminded of the late Brandon Lee, who passed away during the production of the 1994 film, The Crow.
On March 31, 1993, Lee, who was the only son of actor Bruce Lee, was fatally shot on set by a prop gun.
At the time, a mishandled prop gun was used during the scene and, due to crew negligence, a blank round was fired at Lee with almost the same force as a live round.
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The bullet struck Lee in the abdomen and he was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead after attempts to save him were unsuccessful.
Prior to Lee's death, in 1984, actor Jon-Erik Hexum was also killed on the set of the TV series Cover Up while using a prop gun to shoot himself in the head, not knowing it was loaded with blanks.