“Rust” director Joel Souza, who was injured when Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun, said he couldn't understand what had happened on the New Mexico film set, even after being rushed to a hospital.
“I knew something got me,” Souza testified Friday in a courtroom in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on the seventh day of testimony in the involuntary manslaughter trial of Hannah Gutierrez. The 26-year-old Arizona woman could spend up to three years in prison if she is convicted of felony charges brought against her related to the on-set death of Halyna Hutchins on October 21, 2021.
Friday marked the first time Souza publicly described the details of the tragic accident that claimed the life of promising cinematographer Hutchins. He had impressive credentials and had sought the job on “Rust” because he wanted to work on a western.
In disbelief that afternoon, Souza recalled arguing with medical staff at the Santa Fe hospital where he was taken by ambulance. He said he insisted his wound could not have been caused by a real bullet.
Hollywood safety protocols prohibit having live ammunition on a movie set.
“I kept saying, 'You don't understand,'” Souza testified before the 12-member jury and four alternate jurors. “This was a movie and that is not possible. And they kept saying, 'No, no, no. Is [an actual bullet].' In the end they got tired of me protesting because they showed me the x-ray of my back and there was a very large bullet inside.”
Moments before the shooting, Souza entered the wooden church on the film's Bonanza Creek Ranch set and stood behind Hutchins, who had been discussing Baldwin's next scene. The actor was sitting on a bench, dressed to the nines, facing the door. Souza testified that he did not know who had brought the gun to the church or who gave it to Baldwin.
“I went in to see what was going on with the camera angle,” Souza said. “What I wanted to do was get behind Halyna to try to get a look at her… to see what [the camera view] It was visible, but I couldn't even look at that.”
That's when the gun went off.
“There was an incredibly loud bang,” Souza said. “This was deafening. It felt like someone had hit me with a baseball bat on the shoulder. I remember it clearly, and like stumbling back and screaming. “I don't remember exactly what I said.”
Souza testified that he saw crew members help lower Hutchins to the ground. “Nothing made sense. I remember initially thinking that [perhaps] She had been surprised by that. …Then I saw her blood on his back.”
Baldwin, who was indicted by a grand jury in January on charges of involuntary manslaughter, has said he did not pull the trigger, but that the gun discharged during the test. Baldwin has pleaded not guilty. If he is convicted, he would face up to 18 months in prison.
The bullet entered Hutchins on the right side of his chest, passed through it and lodged in Souza's shoulder. The 42-year-old mother died that same afternoon after being airlifted to an Albuquerque trauma hospital.
Souza described interviewing about eight cinematographers for the job on “Rust.” He said he was impressed by Hutchins' backstory (he was born in Ukraine and grew up on a naval base in the Arctic Circle) and his film credentials, including his education at the American Film Institute.
“As a cinematographer, I think that's doubly impressive,” Souza said. “Because if you look at the numbers [of women cinematographers] In our business, they're kind of atrocious that way. … I really wanted to do a western.”
They bonded over Zoom calls during the pandemic, he said.
“There was something about Halyna,” Souza said. “We were really in tune with what we both thought the movie should be.”
After deciding on Hutchins, Souza said he told the film's producers and production managers to hire her: “Please don't ruin the deal because she's really great.”
Gutierrez's trial, which is expected to last until next week, will be broadcast on Court TV.
Souza testified that he didn't have much experience with guns and ammunition, and “Rust” was only the second film he worked on that had guns and needed a gunsmith. She said she was not responsible for hiring Gutierrez, who was only working on her second film as lead gunner.
Testimony at trial has addressed whether Gutiérrez was sufficiently qualified; Special prosecutors have said witnesses described his work as “sloppy” and “unprofessional.”
But the director, who also wrote the script for “Rust,” said the third day of production was a complex day of shooting, with scenes that required gunfights and a western town filled with horses, a donkey and extras brought in to play people. from town. After that day went successfully, Souza acknowledged that she sent a message to Gutiérrez congratulating her on her work that day.
A Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office car leaves Bonanza Creek Ranch on Oct. 22, 2021, a day after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed when Alec Baldwin's gun went off.
(Sam Wasson/Getty Images)
Souza said he was unsure of Gutierrez's actions on the day of the shooting. But he had a clear memory of seeing the young gunsmith at the church door when he was on the ground after being shot.
“She seemed distraught. I remember she said, 'I'm sorry.' I'm sorry, Joel,'” Souza testified. “And I remember someone yelling at her and they took her out.”
Souza testified that Baldwin had initially hired him to write the script for “Rust” and that the two men were eager to collaborate on a western film. New Mexico was selected for its generous tax incentives and picturesque desert views, reminiscent of the Old West.
During Friday afternoon's trial session, the drama escalated during the testimony of doctor Cherlyn Schaefer, who struggled to treat Hutchins' extensive wounds as the cinematographer lay dying on the wooden boards on the floor of the church. Schaefer has sued Baldwin and other crew members, saying she suffered trauma because she did not have sufficiently trained medical personnel or equipment available to assist while they waited for Santa Fe County paramedics to arrive.
A defense attorney suggested she appear at trial to push her case for monetary damages. Schaefer became angry and said her legal efforts began as a way to bring a greater focus on safety to the New Mexico film community.
Schaefer said he wanted to explain further, and New Mexico First Judicial District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer agreed.
“I went home that night and looked at my little boy, who is the same age as Halyna's son,” Schaefer said. “And the only thing he could think about was how he couldn't save his mother's life and how he was going to grow up without a mother. And how her husband lost the love of her life…”
Sommer abruptly stopped Schaefer mid-sentence.
“I don't want to hurt you,” the judge told Schaefer. “But we are going to achieve that testimony.”
Sommer asked the jury to ignore Schaefer's personal narrative.
