If convicted, Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reid face up to 18 months in prison.
Photo: REUTERS
Rust is the last name of the main character in the western, which began filming in the United States in October 2021.
Wild West. 1880 Notorious criminal Harland Rast rescues from hanging his thirteen-year-old grandson Lucas, who has been sentenced to death for accidental murder. The fugitives are being hunted by legendary US Marshal Wood Helm (actor Travis Fimmel, who became famous for his role as Ragnar Podbrok in the TV series Vikings) and bounty hunter Fenton “Preacher” Lang (Jensen Ackles is the star of Supernatural. )
According to the scenario, the accidental murder was committed by Rust’s grandson. And in real life, the actor Alec Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer of the film.
That’s how it went. On October 21, 2021, Baldwin rehearsed in an old wooden church in Bonanza Creek Ranch, New Mexico, for one scene: cowboy style, snatching a Colt .45 and pointing it at the camera. Behind the camera was the film’s cinematographer, Galina Hutchins. “She showed me how I have to hold a revolver to shoot at a certain angle,” the actor said in an interview with ABC News after the tragedy. “I held it the way she asked me, the revolver was aimed at her under the armpit . The trigger was not pressed. I didn’t push him. I cocked the trigger and asked, “Well, how can you see me, can you see? Can you see it or not?” After that, I released the trigger, and a shot rang out … Hutchins fell. I thought: maybe she fainted herself? The realization that there was a live cartridge in this revolver came only after 45 minutes. or even after an hour “I don’t know what happened on the set. I don’t know how a live cartridge ended up in that revolver. I don’t know!”
The bullet passed through Galina Hutchins in the chest and struck the shoulder of Rasta director Joel Souza, who was standing nearby. Together they selected the correct angle to photograph Baldwin with the Colt. Hutchins was airlifted to the hospital by helicopter. Unfortunately, she passed away. The director was released from the hospital the next day.
Baldwin couldn’t really know there was a live round on the Colt. Before rehearsal, assistant director Dave Halls handed him the gun with the words “cold gun” (“cold gun”). In filmmaker lingo, the barrel is full of blanks.
Halls himself, 15 minutes before the tragedy, received the barrel from weapons manager Hannah Gutierrez-Reid. For her, this was her second film in her working biography. She got into movies thanks to her father, famous Hollywood gunsmith Tell Reed, who worked on Django Unchained, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. In fact, the girl herself had to deliver the loaded Colt to the actor, but due to the covid, the entrance to the set was limited. Hanna also couldn’t explain where the live round on the Colt came from. And she transferred the shooters to a company that supplied shooting accessories. She even filed a lawsuit against her. Indeed, later, among the fifty blank cartridges delivered to the execution of Rasta, the police found several alive.
As for Baldwin’s statement to ABC News that he did not pull the trigger, implying that the revolver fired itself…
The FBI forensic examination showed that the Colt operated normally and did not fire without pulling the trigger. The camera did not capture the moment of the shot, as it was just a rehearsal at which angle it is best for Baldwin to hold the barrel. And it hasn’t been filmed yet.
Galina Hutchins was 42 years old. She is a citizen of Ukraine. She was born in the Zhytomyr region in 1979. Her father Anatoly Androsovich is a military sailor. For a long time, the family lived on a Soviet military base beyond the Arctic Circle. As Galina recalls, her childhood was spent “surrounded by deer and nuclear submarines.” After the collapse of the USSR, the family returned to Ukraine. Galina graduated from Kyiv University with a degree in international journalism. Documentaries filmed in England. She moved to the US, married an American, and trained as a cameraman. She made several movies. In 2019, American Cinematographer magazine named her one of the Rising Stars of American Cinema.
After his death, filming on the western was suspended. Galina’s husband, Matt Hutchins, on behalf of him and his son Andros, soon filed a lawsuit against Alec Baldwin. Accusing the actor of negligence. For example, he had to check to see if the Colt was loaded with live ammunition and not point the barrel at Galina. However, Baldwin later settled out of court with Galina’s family. Matt Hutchins is executive producing the unfinished film Rust, which is scheduled to resume filming in January 2023.
But… On Thursday, New Mexico’s 1st District Attorney Mary Carmack-Oltvis said she would file manslaughter charges against actor Alec Baldwin of cameraman Galina Hutchins during the filming of “Rust” and who was responsible for the weapon props in this set. Hanne Gutierrez-Reed: “After a thorough examination of the evidence and the laws of the State of New Mexico, I have concluded that there is sufficient evidence to initiate criminal cases… No one is above the law, and everyone They deserve justice.”
They will be tried by a jury. If convicted, Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reid face up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Assistant director David Halls, who gave the actor a loaded Colt before rehearsal, reached a pretrial plea deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to negligent use of a deadly weapon.
