Seconds after being shot by Alec Baldwin, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins told a boom operator on the “Rust” movie set, “That was no good. That was no good at all.” Hours later, she was pronounced dead.
The haunting final words of the 42-year-old mom, who had been working as the director of photography on Baldwin’s upcoming Western flick, were reported by the Los Angeles Times based on interviews with 14 crew members, emails and text messages.
A few moments earlier, Baldwin had been preparing for a shootout scene inside a church by making sure the camera crew got its angles right for the cross draw with the .45-caliber Colt revolver, the newspaper reported.
“So, I guess I’m gonna take this out, pull it and go, ‘Bang!’” he said as he gripped the holstered handgun, which was supposed to be loaded with dummy rounds, according to the report.
Instead, a live bullet flew out the barrel of the firearm, which the actor had been told was a “cold gun,” a production term that means the weapon doesn’t contain live rounds and is safe for rehearsal, the LA Times said.
The mortally wounded Hutchins stumbled backward and fell into the arms of the chief electrician on set as blood poured out of her chest. Meanwhile, director Joel Souza, who was reportedly struck by the same round, also dropped to the floor.
“What the f— was that? That burns!” Souza yelled, the paper reported.
Baldwin put the gun down on a pew and repeatedly said, “What the f— just happened?”
“Medic!” someone shouted amid the pandemonium as crew members rushed to the stricken Hutchins. One of them, a boom operator, looked into her eyes and said, “Oh, that was no good,” the LA Times said.
“No, that was no good. That was no good at all,” she replied.
Within a few hours, she was pronounced dead.
