Tragic New Details About How the ‘Rust’ Shooting Happened

On Thursday, news broke that Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded writer-director Joel Souza. Now, more details are coming to light about the chain of events that led to the deadly accident.

The Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office has released two new eyewitness accounts detailing the tragedy.

According to Souza’s interview with the police, he and Hutchins were standing behind the camera while Baldwin was practicing drawing his character’s gun for a scene to be shot at Bonanza Creek Ranch.

Souza told investigators that he recalled hearing someone say “cold gun” as they were prepping for the scene. He was not able to recall if the firearm was checked after the crew came back from a lunch break, just before the tragedy.

“Cold gun” means that the gun wasn’t loaded and safe to use.

After the gun discharged, Souza said he heard a loud pop and realized that he and Hutchins were bleeding.

Souza, who was bleeding from the shoulder, also remembered Hutchins grabbing her midsection and complaining about her stomach after suffering a gunshot wound to the chest. She was helped to the ground after she stumbled backward.

In cameraman Reid Russell’s account, “Alec was trying to explain how he was going to draw out the firearm and where his arm would be at when the firearm was pulled from the holster.”

According to the police warrant, “[Russell] was not sure why the firearm was discharged and just remembered the loud bang from the firearm.”

After the hearing the loud bang, Russell “remembered [Souza] having blood on his person, and [Hutchins] speaking and saying she couldn’t feel her legs.”

From Russell’s point of view, “medics began to treat her injury as she was bleeding while on the floor of the building they were in.”

Hutchins was then airlifted to a hospital, but she succumbed to her injuries.