Joel Souza: Last News

Rust have disputed an official report stating they failed to adhere to gun safety prior to the on-set shooting involving Alec Baldwin.Last October, the actor was rehearsing a scene for the film when he discharged a live round from a prop gun on set, which killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured the director, Joel Souza.Baldwin has claimed that he was told the gun was “cold” by the assistant director, and the Sante Fe Sheriff’s department and district attorney are continuing to investigate the shooting.The film’s production company previously said it “enforced all applicable safety protocols,” despite the New Mexico Environment Department imposing its maximum fine on Rust Movie Productions for “serious and wilful” failures.Now the company behind the film has continued to defend its actions, arguing that it was not responsible for supervising the film set, “much less for supervising specific protocols such as the maintenance and loading of weapons” (per BBC News).“The law properly permits producers to delegate such critical functions as firearm safety to experts in that field and does not place such responsibility on producers whose expertise is in arranging financing and contracting for the logistics of filming,” the statement continued, adding that previous discharges of blank rounds on set had been “properly addressed”, including with safety briefings for cast and crew, and did not violate firearm safety protocols.The company also refuted claims that the movie’s armourer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, had been “overburdened” by her additional role as a props assistant, saying her responsibilities as armourer “always took precedence” and that she had sufficient time to inspect the ammunition, but “didn’t do her job

Producers responsible for creating the movie "Rust," which was being filmed in New Mexico before an on-set shooting death resulted in its cancellation, are pushing back on claims that they knew firearm safety was a concern before the film’s cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, was killed by a gun actor Alec Baldwin was holding. Rust Movie Productions LLC filed a notice of contest on Tuesday arguing that the findings by the New Mexico Environmental Department’s Occupational Health and Safety Bureau (NMED) – which last month fined the company $136,793 for its "willful and serious" violation of workplace safety procedures – have no clue what it’s talking about in connection to a fire extinguisher that NMED said was not properly inspected and maintained.

The company that produced the ill-fated Rust movie is contesting the findings of the New Mexico Occupational Health and Safety Bureau, which last month fined the company $136,793 for its “willful and serious” violation of workplace safety procedures. The fine, which is the maximum allowable by law, follows the Bureau’s six-month investigation into the circumstances leading up to the accidental shooting that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza on October 21.

The Santa Fe Police Department released body cam and interview footage on April 26, 2022 of Alec Baldwin discovering Halyna Hutchinson’s death. Baldwin accidentally fired a shot off of what was supposed to be a cold gun on the set of the movie Rust in October, but the gun was loaded with a real bullet that struck Hutchinson, resulting in her death. 

supports HTML5 videoThe moment Alec Baldwin was told that Halyna Hutchins had died after he accidentally shot her has been revealed in police footage. The 30 Rock actor discharged a prop gun on set of western movie Rust in Santa Fe, New Mexico last October, accidentally shooting cinematographer Hutchins and director Joel Souza. Hutchins died from her injuries at the age of 42 while Souza recovered after receiving hospital treatment. Santa Fe County Sheriff’s office has now released all files relating to its ongoing investigation into the fatal shooting of Hutchins, including video footage of the moment Baldwin learned she had died. The short clip shows the 64-year-old actor sitting at a table with two police investigators when one says: ‘I have some unfortunate news,’ to which Baldwin immediately replies: ‘What?’ and looks up from his phone. ‘She didn’t make it,’ the officer said. Baldwin immediately froze in shock and covered his mouth with his hand before shooting back in his seat exclaiming: ‘No!’ He then touched his chest and clasped his head before asking if he could be excused to call his wife Hilaria. It is then that Baldwin was famously pictured talking on the phone and crying outside the police station. Days after the shooting, the actor reportedly urged the police to explore claims that a box of dummy bullets went missing from the set and then reappeared a while later with live rounds in it.‘The point is, I have always maintained that this is an accident of negligence,’ Baldwin reportedly told Detective Alexandra Hancock in a phone call. Also released in the police files was a video of Baldwin talking to officials in an interview after the shooting, explaining that, as a rehearsal, he expected ‘a cold gun with

A harrowing moment. New video footage shows Alec Baldwin receiving the news that Halyna Hutchins died after the shooting on the Rust set last year.

The investigation into the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of “Rust” was thrust into the spotlight again on Monday when the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office released a deluge of previously unseen footage, photos and interviews related to tragic incident.

Halyna Hutchins on the set ofwas thrust into the spotlight again on Monday when the Santa Fe Sheriff's Office released a deluge of previously unseen footage, photos and interviews related to tragic incident.Along with bodycam footage of officers on the scene, shortly after the fatal accident, authorities also released footage from their interview with Alec Baldwin at the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office, where he was first informed that Hutchins had died from her injuries.In the police video, Baldwin can be seen talking on his phone before the interview, and expressing, «You have no idea how unbelievable and how strange this is.»When the interview begins, Baldwin is read his Miranda warning, and asks if he's being charged with anything. Investigators ask Baldwin to recount everything that happened leading up to the shooting, and he explains repeatedly how the gun was supposed to be cold.Baldwin told investigators that people weren't standing in safety locations because it was believed the gun was unloaded.Baldwin is also shown a photo of the projectile that shot Hutchins, went through her and wound up injuring director Joel Souza.

New bodycam footage released by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Department showed armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed in the moments following the shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. "Welcome to the worst day of my life," Gutierrez Reed can be heard telling Detective Alexandria Hancock as she accompanies the armorer to the bathroom shortly after the shooting. The department released all bodycam footage, crime scene photos, witness interviews and text messages obtained so far throughout the investigation on Monday.

Alec made reference to two others who'd been killed in similar circumstances on film sets - Jon-Erik Hexum and Brandon Lee - and questioned whether a piece of material lodged inside the gun could have been what led to injury.The footage from the investigation shows that Alec identified himself to law enforcement immediately when they arrived, stating: "I’m the person that had the gun in the scene."He later recalled: "I take the gun out slowly, I turn, I cock the pistol – bang – it goes off, she hits the ground, she goes down."Director Joel Souza was also injured after the bullet that killed his colleague ricocheted off him with a sickening bang.He told officers that the impact of the bullet was equivalent to being "kicked in the shoulder".After stumbling, he then witnessed blood seeping out around him."I was down on my a** and I look over and see the cinematographer Halyna Hutchins with blood coming out of her back," he reported."There was a bang that was louder than I ever heard come from a blank before."The sheriff's office also released video footage of paramedics at the scene desperately trying to revive Halyna, to no avail.However Sheriff Adan Mendoza said that FBI forensics on the firearm and bullet are yet to be released.There has also been no public release addressing Alec's phone records, despite earlier claims that police had been trying to obtain them.Rust Movie Productions has been fined £104,810 after investigators concluded in a report that the production company "knew firearm safety procedures were not being followed on set".The report stated that "plain indifference to employee safety" had been demonstrated too.The fine, which followed six months of intense investigation, is the highest amount possible

On Monday, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office revealed the full scope of their investigation into the Rust shooting. The tragic accident in October 2021 left director Joel Souza injured and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

Law enforcement officials released a trove of video evidence Monday in the ongoing investigation of a fatal October shooting of a cinematographer by actor and producer Alec Baldwin on the set of a Western movie.

Alec Baldwin allegedly discharged a gun on the set of killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The video shows Baldwin holding the gun before the tragic incident as well as the aftermath of the shooting, with Hutchins on the ground surrounded by first responders. Photos of the gun and Baldwin's hands after the shooting were also released. Baldwin is seen telling two officers after the shooting that he didn't pull the trigger of the 45-caliber prop gun while rehearsing the scene, and that he didn't know who put a live round in the weapon.«I take the gun out and as the barrel clears, I turn and cock the gun and the gun goes off,» Baldwin said. The video also shows director Joel Souza lying on the ground, injured by the same bullet that killed Hutchins. A separate report about the working conditions on the set found that the film's management «knew that firearm safety procedures were not being followed on set and demonstrated plain indifference to employee safety by failing to review work practices and take corrective action.»Baldwin was also a producer on the film, but he doesn't blame himself for the accident. «I feel that someone is responsible for what happened and I can't say who that is, but I know it's not me,» he previously said. Investigators said they are still waiting for phone records and ballistic information in order to complete the criminal investigation. Baldwin has not been charged.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaAlec Baldwin is seen brandishing a revolver and pointing it toward the camera in footage released by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office on Monday as part of its investigation into a fatal shooting on the set of “Rust.” The footage was shot on the same day that cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed when a gun that Baldwin was holding fired. The actor has stated that he did not pull the trigger.

The Santa Fe County Sheriff today released “all files associated with our ongoing investigation” into the shooting of DP Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Alec Baldwin-starring film Rust last year. Baldwin was holding the gun when it discharged.

A major update in the Rust shooting case has been made, and it seems to be a huge victory for Alec Baldwin. That’s certainly how he’s treating it anyway.

Alec Baldwin is making a claim about his involvement in the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his movie, Rust.

An attorney for Alec Baldwin said today that Wednesday’s report by the New Mexico safety regulators “exonerates” his client. The report cites “serious management failures” by the Rust production company in its investigation of the on-set shooting that killed DP Halyna Hutchins and badly injured director Joel Souza last year.

New Mexico workplace safety regulators on Wednesday issued the maximum possible fine of nearly $137,000 against a film production company for firearms safety failures on the set of “Rust” where a cinematographer was fatally shot in October by actor and producer Alec Baldwin.

was fatally shot by Alec Baldwin on the set. In a scathing report, safety officials said the production company showed «plain indifference to the recognized hazards associated with the use of firearms on set that resulted in a fatality, severe injury, and unsafe working conditions.» «Our investigation found that this tragic incident never would have happened if Rust Movie Productions, LLC had followed national film industry standards for firearm safety,» Environment Cabinet Secretary James Kenney said in a statement announcing the fine.

UPDATED with detailed summary of the investigation: The company that produced the ill-fated Rust movie has been slapped with a fine of $136,793 by the New Mexico Occupational Health and Safety Bureau for its “willful and serious” violation of workplace safety procedures. The fine, which is the maximum allowable, follows the Bureau’s six-month investigation into the circumstances leading up to the accidental shooting that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza on October 21.