The Rust shooting, in which cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed when a gun in actor Alec Baldwin's hand fired on a set last year, was the subject of a 550-page investigation report from the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Department. The investigation was handed off to the state's district attorney, who has yet to decide whether or not to file charges in relation to the incident.
According to several interviews between crew members and authorities, there were two accidental discharges on set prior to the shooting that resulted in a fatality. One of the discharges involved a props worker named Sarah Zachry, and the other discharge involved a stuntman.
Two days after the incident, Baldwin sent a text message to his assistant saying, "I have to destroy my archive," although officials have emphasised that it is unclear what he meant by this.
The collection revealed the enormous breadth of the investigation that had been going on for a whole year, including dozens of interviews, search warrants, phone data overviews, and DNA and fingerprint collections from key players such as Baldwin, Zachry, armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, assistant director Dave Halls, and ammunition supplier Seth Kenney. The investigation had been going on for a whole year.
After the incident, some of the crew members questioned Hannah Gutierrez-level Reed's of experience, others raised concerns about Halls' alleged disregard for safety, and others mentioned Baldwin's refusal to participate in a weapons training session; however, other crew members disputed these claims.
A significant portion of the investigation has been devoted to determining how live ammunition were able to make their way onto the set and into the pistol. There was never supposed to be real ammunition on set; only dummy rounds and blanks were supposed to be there. Dummy rounds and blanks are both types of fake bullets that are used on movie sets depending on the effect that is desired.
Baldwin has stated that he did not pull the trigger of the weapon, but an investigation by the FBI determined that the gun he was carrying was incapable of firing without the trigger being pulled (one test showed the gun could fire without, though it was a result of the gun being damaged).
Matthew, Hutchins' widower, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Baldwin, Halls, and Gutierrez-Reed as well as other individuals, but they reached a settlement in October.
Matthew Hutchins will remain in his role as executive producer on the Rust production, which means that the game will be developed further. Baldwin filed a lawsuit against Halls and Gutierrez-Reed for carelessness last week, claiming that they gave him the loaded handgun.
It is unclear when the district attorney will bring charges in relation to the incident, or even if they will. Mary Carmack-Altwies, the New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney, stated that her team would conduct a review of the materials "to make a thoughtful, timely decision about whether or not to bring charges" when the case was handed over to her office a month ago.
She said that the goal of this review would be "to determine whether or not to bring charges in a timely manner.
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