One minute, producer-star Alec Baldwin and a handful of others had been rehearsing a scene in a picket church on a dusty Outdated West film set meant to appear like Eighties Kansas. The following minute, two individuals had been bleeding from gunshot wounds — one in every of which might show to be deadly — and everybody was reeling from confusion and shock.
Right here, primarily based on a search warrant affidavit and 911 calls, is a moment-by-moment account of what occurred that day.
The crew was filming final Thursday at Bonanza Creek Ranch, a Western film set exterior Santa Fe, New Mexico. Within the movie Baldwin performs a grizzled outlaw on the run from authorities together with his 13-year-old grandson.
Mornings sometimes began with breakfast at 6:30 a.m., however that day they had been delayed. A six-person digicam crew had just lately walked off the job, complaining about pay and housing, and a brand new crew had been introduced in.
However even with the delay, issues seemed to be going easily, director Joel Souza informed Santa Fe County Sheriff’s deputies within the affidavit. Baldwin and crew members started rehearsing a scene within the rustic church, broke for lunch, after which returned to the set.
Baldwin, wearing Outdated West garments, was huddled with Souza, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and some others inside the straightforward picket construction. One digicam was arrange, however as a result of they had been simply rehearsing, nothing was being filmed or recorded.
Assistant director Dave Halls fetched a prop gun from a cart exterior the church and yelled “chilly gun!,” indicating it was unloaded. He then handed it to Baldwin, who sat in a church pew dealing with the digicam and crew.
Baldwin was demonstrating a “cross draw” — pulling a gun from a holster on the other facet of his physique from his draw hand. The scene required him to level the gun towards the digicam.
It was about 1:50 p.m. Souza informed deputies he was viewing the scene by means of the digicam and close by screens when he heard “what appeared like a whip after which a loud pop.”
Hutchins stumbled backward and slumped to the ground, clutching her abdomen and saying she could not really feel her legs. Souza, who had been standing beside her, seen blood on his shoulder.
Immediately, there was chaos.
A script supervisor known as 911
Crew members scattered. A medic tried to cease Hutchins’ bleeding whereas others frantically dialed 911.
In a 911 name, a girl who described herself because the movie’s script supervisor informed the dispatcher what had occurred.
“Two individuals have been by accident shot on a film set by a prop gun. We’d like assist instantly,” the lady stated, in response to a transcript of the decision obtained by CNN affiliate KOAT.
“A director and a camerawoman have been shot.”
The 911 operator requested if the prop gun was loaded with an actual bullet.
“I can not let you know that,” the lady stated. “Now we have two accidents from a film, gunshot … I used to be sitting, we had been rehearsing and it went off, and I ran out. All of us ran out. They had been doubled over … the camerawoman and the director.”
‘The caller then started cursing at an unidentified particular person about gun security on the set.
Then got here one other 911 name, this one from an unidentified man on the set. The dispatcher informed him an ambulance was on the best way. She additionally supplied to present directions on the right way to cease the victims’ bleeding.
The caller informed the dispatcher {that a} medic on set was serving to deal with those that had been shot. A cacophony of voices may very well be heard within the background.
Investigators seized Baldwin’s garments
Sheriff’s deputies arrived shortly afterward.
Hutchins, 42, was airlifted to a hospital some 55 miles away in Albuquerque, the place she was pronounced useless. Souza, 48, suffered a gunshot wound to his proper shoulder and is recovering.
A distraught Baldwin became his avenue garments and gave his blood-stained Western outfit to authorities. He additionally gave the prop gun to the armorer — the one who oversees firearms on film units — who took the spent casing out and handed it to detectives.
Investigators additionally discovered two different prop weapons, a Western-style gun belt and a few ammunition.
It stays unclear what was within the gun that Baldwin fired. Detectives realized the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez, had laid three prop weapons on the cart earlier than Halls, the assistant director, grabbed one and handed it to Baldwin. Souza, the movie’s director, informed investigators he believed the gun was unloaded and protected.
Within the affidavit, detectives sought a search warrant to grab extra gadgets as proof, together with firearms and ammunition, cameras, reminiscence playing cards and computer systems.
5 days later, there are nonetheless extra questions than solutions.
