Filming 'Rust': A Timeline of Filming from the Set and Criminal Cases Before Alec Baldwin's Trial

CNN
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Actor Alec Baldwin and several crew members gathered at a church on a New Mexico ranch on October 21, 2021 to rehearse a scene from their upcoming western “Rust.”

Then came the unexpected gunshot.

A promising filmmaker was killed, a director was injured, and a film production was left in ruins.

Since that day's fatal shooting of 42-year-old Halyna Hutchins, the film's gunsmith and his assistant director have been convicted of criminal charges. And after some legal back-and-forth, Baldwin is expected to go on trial for involuntary manslaughter soon.

The details of what happened that day have been made public in affidavits, probable cause statements, interviews with key participants and testimony in criminal trials.

Here's a timeline of the on-set filming and the resulting lawsuits.

May 29, 2020: Baldwin, a three-time Emmy winner for his roles in “30 Rock” and “Saturday Night Live,” has been announced as producer and star of the Western feature “Rust,” based on a story by Baldwin and Joel Souza, Deadline reported. In the film, Baldwin plays a grizzled outlaw on the run from authorities with his 13-year-old grandson.

October 6, 2021: Filming has begun on “Rust” at Bonanza Creek Ranch, a film set outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

October 20, 2021: Several crew members left the set, citing security concerns. A crew member said there were two accidental gunshots and a special effects error that set off explosives around the crew between takes.

October 21, 2021: Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the gunsmith in “Rust,” loaded a six-shot revolver with what she believed to be “dummy” rounds, a term for ammunition that contains no explosive elements but appears to be real, according to the investigators and his defense. lawyer.

Baldwin and several crew members began rehearsing a scene in a rustic church on set before taking a break for lunch. After the break, Baldwin, Souza, Hutchins and a few others returned to the church to rehearse.

Assistant Warden Dave Halls retrieved a prop gun from a cart outside the church and yelled “gun cold,” indicating it was unloaded. He then handed the gun to Baldwin.

Baldwin practiced a “cross draw” – drawing a gun from a holster on the opposite side of his body to his drawing hand. The scene required him to point the gun at the camera, directed by Hutchins, Souza and a cameraman.

Suddenly, they heard a loud bang. Hutchins stumbled backwards, collapsed to the ground, clutching her stomach and said she couldn't feel her legs. Souza, who was standing next to her, noticed blood on her shoulder.

At 1:48 p.m., the crew reported the shooting to emergency services. Hutchins was airlifted to hospital and pronounced dead at 3:37 p.m.

Souza was treated in hospital and a live bullet was removed from his back.

Sheriff's deputies arrived on scene and began investigating the series of events leading up to the shooting.

October 22, 2021: Baudouin issued a statement calling the death a “tragic accident” and saying he was fully cooperating with the police investigation.

December 2, 2021: In an interview with ABC, Baldwin said he cocked the gun and dropped the hammer, then the gun fired. He said he pointed the gun just side of the camera at Hutchins, as she asked him to do.

“I would never point a gun at someone and then pull the trigger, ever,” he said.

August 14, 2022: FBI tests of the firearm found that it could not be fired without pulling the trigger while the weapon was cocked, according to a forensic report. The report said the weapon ultimately malfunctioned during FBI testing after internal parts fractured, causing the weapon to fire in the cocked position without pulling the trigger.

August 20, 2022: In an interview with CNN, Baldwin placed responsibility for Hutchins' death on Gutierrez Reed, the film's gunsmith and prop assistant, and assistant director Halls, who handed him the gun.

October 5, 2022: The family of Hutchins and Baldwin has reached an undisclosed settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit filed against the actor and others. As part of the deal, Matthew Hutchins, the cinematographer's widower, was named executive producer of “Rust.”

January 19, 2023: Prosecutors announced that Baldwin and Gutierrez Reed will be charged with involuntary manslaughter in Hutchins' death.

Halls, the assistant principal, agreed to plead no contest to negligent use of a deadly weapon, the prosecutor's office said. The terms of this agreement include six months of probation and a suspended sentence, prosecutors said.

January 31, 2023: Baldwin and Gutierrez Reed have been formally charged with involuntary manslaughter.

February 23, 2023: Baldwin pleaded not guilty to manslaughter charges and was released on personal recognizance.

April 20, 2023: New Mexico special prosecutors dismissed charges against Baldwin, citing “new facts” in the case. “This decision does not absolve Mr. Baldwin of criminal culpability and charges may be refiled,” they said.

August 9, 2023: Gutierrez Reed pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence.

January 19: Baldwin was indicted by a grand jury for involuntary manslaughter.

January 31: Baldwin pleaded not guilty for the second time to manslaughter charges.

February 22: The trial of movie gunsmith Gutierrez Reed has begun.

Prosecutors alleged that her failures allowed six live rounds to find their way onto the set, and that she failed to carry out essential safety checks that would have detected the problem. His defense blamed Baldwin for failing to follow common-sense gun safety rules and the film's production team for creating a chaotic and dangerous environment.

1st of March: Souza, the director and screenwriter, testified about the moment he was shot on set while standing behind Hutchins.

March 6: Gutierrez Reed was convicted of involuntary manslaughter after jurors deliberated for nearly three hours. She was acquitted of charges of tampering with evidence.

April 15: At her sentencing hearing, Gutierrez Reed said “my heart hurts” for Hutchins' family and friends, and she asked the judge to sentence her to probation.

The judge criticized her statement and sentenced her to a maximum of 18 months in prison, saying: “You alone turned a safe weapon into a deadly weapon.” »

May 24: A New Mexico judge denied Baldwin's motion to dismiss the manslaughter indictment. Baldwin's lawyers had accused prosecutors of misconduct during the grand jury process.

June 3: New Mexico prosecutors asked the court to grant Gutierrez Reed customary immunity and compel her to testify at Baldwin's trial, according to court documents. Gutierrez Reed invoked her Fifth Amendment right to silence during a pretrial interview, and prosecutors said if she did not have immunity, she would not be able to testify at trial.

Gutierrez Reed's attorney, Jason Bowles, told CNN he would oppose the motion.