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 The affidavit provided
additional details about Thursday's accidental
shooting in New Mexico that killed 42-year-old
Halyna Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza.
Baldwin had been handed the prop gun and told it
was unloaded, authorities in Santa Fe have said
in court documents.
"Joel stated that they had Alec sitting in a pew
in a church building setting, and he was
practicing a cross draw. Joel said he was
looking over the shoulder of (Hutchins), when he
heard what sounded like a whip and then loud
pop," the affidavit read.
Hutchins was shot in the chest area, the
document said.
"Joel then vaguely remembers (Hutchins)
complaining about her stomach and grabbing her
midsection. Joel also said (Hutchins) began to
stumble backwards and she was assisted to the
ground," the affidavit adds.
Hutchins said she could not feel her legs, Reid
Russel, a cameraman who was standing next to her
at the time of the shooting, told officials.
A distraught Baldwin, 63, was photographed on
Saturday outside a hotel in Santa Fe embracing
and talking with Matt Hutchins, the husband of
Halyna Hutchins, and their nine-year-old son.
In a statement read to a candlelight vigil
https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/director-gutted-by-death-cinematographer-accidental-shooting-2021-10-23
on Saturday, Hutchins called his wife's death
"an enormous loss."
No one has been charged in the fatal incident
during a rehearsal on Thursday at the Bonanza
Creek Ranch outside Santa Fe as the sheriff's
office continues its investigation.
Multiple media and social media reports have
raised concerns about safety protocols on the
set of the low-budget movie. Both Souza and
Russel described a walk-out by a camera crew
before the accident.
"Reid stated that the camera crew was having
issues with production involving payment and
housing," the affidavit reads, adding that
Russel had said six individuals had walked out.
Serge Svetnoy, chief electrician for "Rust",
said in a Facebook post on Sunday that he had
held Hutchins his arms while she was dying and
blamed "negligence and unprofessionalism" for
her death.
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 Celebrity website TMZ.com,
citing unidentified sources connected to the
production, said the gun handed to Baldwin had
previously been used by crew members for target
practice off-set, using real bullets.
Reuters could not verify the report and police
in Santa Fe did not respond to inquiries on
Sunday. According to the Los
Angeles Times, more than a week ago Baldwin's
stunt double accidentally fired two rounds from
a prop firearm after being told it was "cold",
an industry term meaning a weapon is not loaded
with ammunition, including blanks.
Rust Movie Productions said last week that
although they "were not made aware of any
official complaints concerning weapon or prop
safety on set, we will be conducting an internal
review of our procedures while production is
shut down."
According to court documents, the prop gun was
handed to Baldwin by the film's assistant
director, Dave Halls, who has more than 20
years' experience in the business.
Halls did not respond to requests for comment on
Sunday. Also involved in the sheriff's probe is
the movie's chief armorer, Hannah Gutierrez. She
could not be reached for comment.
About 200 people took part in the vigil for
Hutchins in Albuquerque on Saturday. While
organizers emphasized that the event was to
honor Hutchins' memory, rather than focus on her
death, some in the crowd held signs that read
"Safety on Set."
A second vigil was held on Sunday in the Los
Angeles area, where a few hundred people mourned
in a private parking lot, according to a Reuters
photographer.
 (Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Writing by Jill
Serjeant and Alexandra Ulmer; Editing by Daniel
Wallis and Stephen Coates)
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