Everything We Know About Alec Baldwin Fatally Shooting A Rust Crew Member

In October 2021, Alec Baldwin and his crewmates saw a horrifically tragic accident unfold on the set of his movie, "Rust," which promptly halted filming. The former "30 Rock" star had been filming his upcoming project at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in which he stars alongside the likes of former "Vikings" star Travis Fimmel and former "Supernatural" actor Jensen Ackles.

The movie is a Western and follows Baldwin's character, an outlaw named Harland Rust, who teams up with his grandson to go on the run together. Rust's grandson is charged with accidental murder and Rust breaks him out of prison (per Deadline).

The movie is thought to heavily feature guns, as Ackles previously attested to while appearing at SNP Denver 2021. "They had me pick my gun. They were like, 'Alright, what gun would you like?' I was like, 'I don't know,' and the armorer was like, 'Do you have gun experience?' I was like, 'A little,' she was like, 'This is how you load it. This is how you load it, check it's safe. Do you want it hip drawn or cross drawn?' I was like, 'cross drawn, that sounds fun,'" he said. Ackles then explained that there were blanks placed in his gun and he was told to practice by firing "a couple of rounds towards the hill."

But, sadly, tragedy has since hit the set involving a gun, leaving one person dead and another injured.

The movie "Rust" originally paused production following the serious incident involving star Alec Baldwin and two crew members on the set. According to People, Baldwin "accidentally misfired a prop gun" while filming on October 21, 2021, killing the movie's cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins (pictured above), and injuring its director, Joel Souza. Hutchins was airlifted to a nearby hospital but tragically died after arriving.

Rust Movie Productions LLC said in a statement that "the entire cast and crew has been absolutely devastated by today's tragedy, and we send our deepest condolences to Halyna's family and loved ones." The company added, "We have halted production on the film for an undetermined period of time and are fully cooperating with the Santa Fe Police Department's investigation. We will be providing counseling services to everyone connected to the film as we work to process this awful event."

At the time, a Santa Fe Sheriff's Department official told Deadline that Baldwin had been "questioned by investigators and released" but added, "no arrests or charges have been filed." They also confirmed that the "investigation remains open and active" and shared that "witnesses continue to be interviewed by detectives."

People shared a photo of Alec Baldwin in New Mexico shortly after the incident occurred, in which he appeared to be outside. The outlet reported that he "appeared shaken" and was on a call to an unknown person while holding what seemed to be a disposable mask. Another candid image obtained by Sky News showed the actor bent over and clearly emotional.

At the time, Baldwin had not spoken publicly about the tragic accident, though Independent claimed he was seen "crying" outside of the sheriff's office, while Sky News reported he did not speak to the press or anyone else who had gathered outside. Baldwin was seemingly questioned about what happened on the set while inside the sheriff's office and a spokesman confirmed that "he willingly provided a statement."

The sighting came as Baldwin deleted a photo of himself from the set from his Instagram account following the tragedy. The snap, which is still available to see via The Sun, showed the actor in character as Harland Rust wearing a bloodstained shirt as he stood amongst a collection of trailers. He held his jacket in one hand and a cowboy hat in the other.

"Rust" cinematographer Halyna Hutchins posted several updates from the set of the movie to her Instagram account, leaving behind a poignant reminder of the fun she was having just days before her tragic death. Hutchins' final post was a video that showed her horse riding in New Mexico on October 19, 2021. She gazed into the camera and gave her followers a look at her stunning surroundings. "One of the perks of shooting a western is you get to ride horses on your day off," she wrote, alongside a smiley face.

Shortly before that, an even more heartbreaking post came in the form of a photo of the cast and crew on the outdoor set. The image showed the gang gathered together — with the actors in costume — as they smiled for the camera. Hutchins tagged several of the cast and crew in her post, including Alec Baldwin.

Tributes flooded in for Hutchins following her death, including a touching Instagram message from Joe Manganiello who worked with her on the 2020 movie, "Archenemy."

On the one-year anniversary of the fatal "Rust" shooting in October 2022, it was reported that an investigation was in progress, per Fox News. "District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altweis remains committed to pursuing justice for the victims, and getting answers for the community," Heather Brewer, spokesperson for the district attorney's office, said in a statement. It was also stated that justice would be served once the district attorney received the full report from the sheriff and the evidence was further reviewed.

Meanwhile, Alec Baldwin sat down with ABC News to talk about the incident. He defended himself claiming that he didn't pull the trigger. "I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger at them," he said. "Never." He added that he was told the gun was empty and further claimed that he just pulled the hammer of the gun back without cocking it to make sure he was using it correctly for the scene.

But, according to another report, it was revealed that the FBI investigated the gun. It was then determined that the gun "could not be made to fire without a pull of the trigger," as they tested the gun with the hammer in both quarter- and half-cocked positions, and then fully cocked. A year and a half later, charges were filed against Baldwin.

As the "Rust" shooting was being investigated, Alec Baldwin started to blame others, claiming that Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and Dave Halls should be held accountable for the incident. "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," the actor told CNN. "Why didn't [Gutierrez Reed] check that bullet? Why didn't Halls obey her?"

Gutierrez-Reed then filed her own complaint against the sheriff's office. According to a written statement obtained by Deadline, the armorer for the film questioned why they weren't looking into how live ammunition got onto set and loaded into the gun in the first place. "It is inconceivable that the sheriff would not seek answers to this fundamental question and it raises a serious problem with the entire investigation," she wrote.

On January 19, 2023, Baldwin, Gutierrez-Reed, and Halls were all charged with involuntary manslaughter. "On my watch, no one is above the law, and everyone deserves justice," New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said in a statement reported by the Los Angeles Times.