Inside The Desperate 911 Call From The Alec Baldwin On-Set Shooting
While filming "Rust" in New Mexico, Alec Baldwin misfired a prop gun on set, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza, according to People. The tragedy occurred on October 21 and production has been shut down indefinitely.
Baldwin "was unaware of the type of ammunition in the gun," as Deadline reported. Baldwin was subsequently questioned by the Santa Fe Sheriff's Department and released. "No arrests or charges have been filed," the department told Deadline. However, there's still the possibility that Baldwin could face charges, though not of a criminal nature.
The harrowing incident has sparked a renewed investigation and interest in gun safety on movie sets. The correct protocol is that someone on set, in this case the assistant director, yells "Cold Gun" when the prop is handed to an actor to indicate that the gun is safe, according to The New York Times. While this protocol was followed, neither the assistant director nor Baldwin knew that the gun had live rounds inside. As more news breaks about the incident, TMZ released the 911 call made on set. Here's what we know.
Crew member told 911: 'We need help immediately'
After Alec Baldwin misfired a prop gun on the set of "Rust," a crew member dialed 911 at 2:19 p.m. The call was obtained by TMZ, which reported that it was the script supervisor who made the call, clearly upset, and said: "We have two people accidentally shot on a movie set by a prop gun," adding, "[W]e need help immediately." She said that, after the gun fired, everyone on the crew "ran out." She also told the operator that Halyna Hutchins and Joel Souza were "doubled over" following the misfiring.
The script supervisor didn't know if a real bullet came out of the gun and was unclear about what came out of the prop. After a brief period, another crew member got on the call to notify the operator that a set medic was tending to the two injured members.
However, as The New York Times notes, Hutchins was flown to the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque where she died. Souza was taken to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe, where his shoulder wound was tended to and he was later released.