True Crime/Paranormal/Conspiracy Theories Part VII (Wattys2025)

Rust Shooting Incident

On October 21, 2021, at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Bonanza City, New Mexico, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot and director Joel Souza was injured on the set of the film Rust when actor Alec Baldwin discharged a live round from a revolver he was using as a prop.

The incident was investigated by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office, the New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney, the New Mexico Occupational Health and Safety Bureau, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In an affidavit, the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office stated that neither Baldwin nor first assistant director David Halls knew that the gun in question was loaded. On January 31, 2023, the Santa Fe district attorney charged Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed with one count each of involuntary manslaughter. Halls agreed to plead guilty to the charge of the negligent use of a deadly weapon. On February 23, 2023, Baldwin pleaded not guilty, and on April 20, 2023, it was reported that prosecutors had indicated that the charges against him were being dropped. Gutierrez-Reed was later charged with tampering with evidence. On March 6, 2024, Gutierrez-Reed was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. Gutierrez-Reed was then remanded into police custody and sentenced to 18 months in prison on April 15, 2024. On January 19, 2024, Baldwin was again indicted on charges of involuntary manslaughter; he pleaded not guilty. Baldwin's trial began on July 9, 2024, but the charges were dismissed with prejudice three days later over a Brady disclosure violation. The judge found that authorities, in an "intentional and deliberate" manner, withheld evidence regarding a set of bullets from the defense and that this displayed "signs of scorching prejudice".

The incident prompted a public discussion on occupational safety in the film industry, the treatment of its employees, and the use of real guns as props.

Background

Writer and director Joel Souza conceived the story for Rust with actor and producer Alec Baldwin. The Western film was produced on a small budget of $6–7 million and was Baldwin's passion project. Its distribution rights were sold for $2 million during the pre-production phase. The production had a filming schedule of 21 days. Filming began on October 6, 2021, at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Bonanza City, New Mexico, a ghost town located thirteen miles south of Santa Fe.

Responsible for overseeing all weapons on set was the production's property key assistant and armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, stepdaughter of long-time industry armorer Thell Reed. Rust was Gutierrez-Reed's second film serving as lead armorer. In her first film, The Old Way, several crew members complained about her handling of firearms, including an incident in which she discharged a weapon without warning and caused lead actor Nicolas Cage to walk off set.

David Halls was the assistant director. In the aftermath of the incident, former colleagues reported that Halls faced complaints in 2019 about his behavior during the filming of two episodes of Into the Dark; the complaints indicated that he allegedly disregarded safety protocols by ignoring blocked exits and a fire lane. In the same year, Halls had been fired from working on the film Freedom's Path after a firearm discharged unexpectedly on set, wounding a crew member.

On the set of the independent film One Way, a crew member warned producers about Halls's disregard for safety measures and said, "That man is a liability. He's going to fucking kill someone someday, and you're going to be responsible." However, the film's digital imaging technician disputes this claim, saying he knew Halls to be conscientious about safety. The Hollywood Reporter reported several complaints raised during the production of 2019's The Tiger Rising, which also featured Rust executive producers Ryan Donnell Smith, Allen Cheney, Emily Hunter Salveson, and Ryan Winterstern.

Union disputes and safety complaints

The beginning of Rust's production came amidst a potential strike by members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) over working conditions and low pay. On October 4, it was announced that IATSE members voted 98.68% in favor of authorizing a strike, with a voter turnout of 89.66% of eligible voters. Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins supported IATSE. She wrote in an Instagram post: "Standing in #IAsolidarity with our @IATSE crew here in New Mexico on RUST."