Alec Baldwin fired a gun on the set of 'Rust,' killing its cinematographer. Here's a timeline of the shocking incident.

• On October 21, 2021, Alec Baldwin fired a gun while rehearsing a scene for the movie "Rust" that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza.
• The movie's armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, Baldwin was acquitted of the same charge.

On October 21, 2021, while rehearsing a scene for the independent movie "Rust," Alec Baldwin was handed a gun, which he fired, fatally wounding director of photography Halyna Hutchins and injuring the director Joel Souza.

By the following day, it was confirmed that the gun Baldwin was handed had a live round in it, according to the prop masters union.

Hutchins, 42, was a rising star in her profession who had shot movies like "Archenemy" and "Blindfire."

"Rust" is a Western starring Baldwin as an outlaw who rescues his 13-year-old grandson who is sentenced to hang for manslaughter.

Nearly three years after the tragic event, the movie will have its world premiere in November at EnergaCamerimage, a film festival in Poland.

Here's a timeline of the fatal "Rust" incident.

Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office deputies were dispatched to the 'Rust' set on October 21 following 911 calls

At 1:50 pm calls came in to 911 of an accident from the "Rust" set at Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Hutchins died after being transported to the University of New Mexico Hospital in critical condition. Souza was treated at the Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center and released later that day.

"According to investigators it appears that the scene being filmed involved the use of a firearm when it was discharged," the sheriff's office said in a statement provided to Insider. "Detectives are investigating how and what type of projectile was discharged."

The sheriff's office also said the gun was fired by Baldwin.

On audio of the 911 calls obtained by KOAT, a woman who identified herself as a supervisor on the film set could be heard saying that a director and a camerawoman had been "accidentally shot" by a gun at a film set at the Bonanza Creek Ranch.

"I was sitting, we were rehearsing, and it went off and I ran out — we all ran out," the woman says.

Separately, a man can be heard on the call telling the operator that two people had been shot and that there's a medic on the set who is trying to stop the bleeding.

Prop masters union said the gun Baldwin fired contained live rounds

An email from the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 44 to its members revealed that the gun Baldwin fired had a live round, according to Indiewire. A "live round" is referred in the film industry as anything loaded into a gun, even blanks.

The email from the union also confirmed that the shot Baldwin fired hit both Hutchins and Souza.

"A live single round was accidentally fired on set by the principal actor, hitting both the Director of Photography, Local 600 member Halyna Hutchins, and Director Joel Souza," the email said. "Local 44 has confirmed that the Props, Set Decoration, Special Effects, and Construction Departments were staffed by New Mexico crew members. There were no Local 44 members on the call sheet."

Baldwin tweeted his 'shock and sadness' over the incident and that he's 'fully cooperating' with the police

On the day after the accident Baldwin, sent out his first public comments via his Twitter account.

"There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours," Baldwin tweeted.

"I'm fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred," he added.

In a second tweet, Baldwin continued: "I am in touch with her husband, offering my support to him and his family. My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna."

Affidavit said Baldwin was told the gun wasn't loaded

Stories from The New York Times and the Associated Press that ran a day after the shooting report that Baldwin says in an affidavit that he was told by the movie's assistant director Dave Halls, who handed him the gun, that it was a "cold gun." Which is a term used in a movie that the gun is not loaded.

The Times also reported that a search warrant was issued of the "Rust" set and that a judge has ordered that all equipment be searched for evidence.

"Detectives entered the movie set today and continue to interview potential witnesses," Juan Rios, spokesperson for the Santa Fe County Sheriff's office, told The New York Times. "Apparently there were quite a few people at the scene of what happened."

"I can confirm that investigators executed a search warrant," Rios said in a statement to Insider.

The camera crew on 'Rust' reportedly walked off the movie hours before the fatal shooting over poor working conditions

Just hours before Baldwin was handed what he thought was a "cold gun" the camera crew walked off the movie in protest of safety conditions, sources told the LA Times.

A group of six cameramen and their assistants reportedly walked off the set on the morning of October 21 to protest the long hours and low wages. And there was particular worry by some over two accidental gun discharges that happened the weekend before the fatal shooting, according to the Times.

"There should have been an investigation into what happened," a crew member said, according to the paper, of the accidental discharges. Instead, the crew member added, there were no safety meetings and no assurances that it wouldn't happen again.

Three sources familiar with the matter told the Los Angeles Times that safety protocol standards, including gun inspections, were not strictly followed on set. At least one camera operator, per the Times, had complained to a production manager about gun safety.

Hutchins, though advocating safety on set, decided to stay on the film.

Reports surface of 24-year-old 'Rust' armorer once giving an 11-year-old actress a gun without checking it properly and expressing self-doubt

On October 23, The Daily Beast cites two production sources who worked alongside armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed on "The Old Way" that filming had to briefly stop after an incident with child actress Ryan Kiera Armstrong.

The recently shot movie starring Nicolas Cage, which marked Gutierrez-Reed's first as head armorer, had to be paused, according to the sources, after she loaded a weapon on the ground in an area filled with pebbles and then handed it to Armstrong without adequately checking for barrel obstruction.

"She was a bit careless with the guns, waving it around every now and again," a source told The Daily Beast. "There were a couple of times she was loading the blanks and doing it in a fashion that we thought was unsafe."

Gutierrez-Reed, who is the daughter of veteran Hollywood armorer Thell Reed, told the "Voices of the West" podcast a month ago that she almost didn't take "The Old Way" job because she wasn't sure if she was "ready" for it, according to Metro.

"I think loading blanks was the scariest thing to me because I was like, 'Oh, I don't know anything about it,'" she said. But her famous father, she said, helped train her.

"Rust" was Gutierrez-Reed's second time being a heard armorer on a movie.

Santa Fe Sheriff's Office released audio on October 23 of a 911 call where the script supervisor blamed the assistant director

In a 911 call made by "Rust" script supervisor Mamie Mitchell, she can be heard blaming the movie's assistant director Dave Halls for the accident.

"This fucking AD that yelled at me at lunch asking about revisions, this motherfucker," Mitchell says, appearing to be in conversation with someone who was not on the call. "He's supposed to check the guns. He's responsible for what happened."

"I was sitting, we were rehearsing, and it went off," Mitchell told the operator. "And I ran out."

Halls has been the subject of complaints over safety and his behavior dating back to 2019, according to CNN.

Complaints include "a disregard for safety protocols for weapons and pyrotechnics use, blocked fire lanes and exits, and instances of inappropriately sexual behavior in the workplace," the network notes.

Director Joel Souza released a statement on October 23 saying he's 'gutted by the loss' of Hutchins

In the wake of the tragic event, Souza gave a statement to Deadline:

"I am gutted by the loss of my friend and colleague, Halyna," he said. "She was kind, vibrant, incredibly talented, fought for every inch, and always pushed me to be better."

"My thoughts are with her family at this most difficult time," he continued. "I am humbled and grateful by the outpouring of affection we have received from our filmmaking community, the people of Santa Fe, and the hundreds of strangers who have reached out.... It will surely aid in my recovery."

The 'Rust' crew held a candlelight vigil for Hutchins on October 24

The crew members of "Rust" gathered in Albuquerque, New Mexico to pay tribute to their fallen DP.

Violinists played at the event before attendees held a moment of silence at the Albuquerque Civic Plaza, according to The New York Post.

A statement was read on behalf of Hutchins' husband, Matt Hutchins.

"The outpouring of sympathy from our many friends has been overwhelming and we thank everyone for their kind and generous sharing of images and stories of her life," he said, according to the New York Post.

Since the fatal shooting, the American Film Institute has launched a scholarship in Hutchins' name to "build sustainable careers in the movie business." And a GoFundMe page in honor of her has raised over $200,000.

Baldwin was rehearsing pointing a gun at the camera when the fatal shot occurred, according to an affidavit

Souza stated in an affidavit Insider obtained on October 24 that Baldwin was rehearsing for a scene in "Rust" when he fatally shot Hutchins.

"Joel [Souza] stated that they had Alec [Baldwin] sitting in a pew in a church building setting, and he was practicing a cross draw," the document read. "Joel said he was looking over the shoulder of [Hutchins], when he heard what sounded like a whip and then loud pop."

The filing said Hutchins was shot in the chest area.

"Joel then vaguely remembers [Hutchins] complaining about her stomach and grabbing her midsection," the affidavit said. "Joel also said [Hutchins] began to stumble backwards and she was assisted to the ground."

Baldwin was "inconsolable" after the incident and has been "canceling other projects" and taking time off to "re-center himself," People reported, citing an unnamed source.

Police have a search warrant to recover bone fragments and Baldwin's clothes from 'Rust' set

Specifics of what Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office are obtaining with the search warrant following the shooting have been released.

According to an affidavit obtained by Insider, they were to seize things including cameras, video cameras, memory cards, bone fragments, and firearm discharge, as well as the costume Baldwin was wearing on set when the shooting happened.

'Rust' has paused production

The cast and crew of "Rust" were told on the evening of October 24 that production on the movie is being paused amid the police investigation into the fatal accident.

"As we go through this crisis, we have made the decision to wrap the set at least until the investigations are complete," producers said in an email to crew members seen by the Los Angeles Times.

Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office said on October 27 that the gun Baldwin fired was loaded with a bullet

In the first news conference by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office about the shooting on the "Rust" set, authorities said Baldwin fired a gun that was loaded with a lead bullet.

"We believe that we have the spent shell casing from the bullet that was fired from the gun," said Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendoza in the press conference, adding that "a lead projectile had also been recovered."

Officials said at the press conference that they weren't ruling out charges in the incident.

The assistant director who handed the gun to Baldwin told police he didn't check all the rounds in the gun

Assistant director Dave Halls told police that he didn't make sure that all the rounds in the gun he handed Baldwin had dummy bullets, according to court documents.

Halls told police when the film's armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed "showed him" the firearm, used by Baldwin in the on-set shooting, "before continuing rehearsal, he could only remember seeing three rounds," according to a new affidavit obtained by Insider that was filed on October 27 in Santa Fe County Magistrate Court.

Halls "advised he should have checked all of them, but didn't and couldn't recall" if Gutierrez-Reed "spun the drum" of the gun, said the affidavit that was included in search warrant documents for a "prop truck" on the movie set.

Armorer Gutierrez-Reed made first public comments via her lawyer on October 28: 'Hannah has no idea where the live rounds came from'

Gutierrez-Reed said through her lawyer that she was forced to cut corners on gun safety while working on "Rust."

The 24-year-old head armorer of the movie, marking the second time in her career in that role, said she was overworked and was denied the training she needed.

"Hannah was hired on two positions on this film, which made it extremely difficult to focus on her job as an armorer," lawyers Jason Bowles and Robert Gorence said.

It wasn't made clear what the other role was.

It continued by saying that Gutierrez-Reed "fought for training days to maintain weapons and proper time to prepare for gunfire but ultimately was overruled by production and her department."

The statement did not name those it said were responsible for overruling her.

"Safety is Hannah's number one priority on set," the statement continued. "Ultimately this set would never have been compromised if live ammo were not introduced. Hannah has no idea where the live rounds came from."

On October 26, The Wrap published a report citing sources from the set of "The Old Way," the movie that marked the first time Gutierrez-Reed was a hear armorer, who said she exhibited poor gun safety on set.

Stu Brumbaugh, who worked as a key grip on the movie told the trade that Gutierrez-Reed's behavior caused the film's star Nicolas Cage to scream at her and storm off set after she fired a gun near the cast and crew for the second time in three days without warning.

Previous reports from the "Rust" set say two accidental gun discharges happened the weekend before the fatal shooting of Hutchins. In the Gutierrez-Reed statement, it claims "Hannah still, to this day, has never had an accidental discharge."

"The first one on this set was the prop master and the second was a stunt man after Hannah informed him his gun was hot with blanks," referring to the accidental discharges on set.

The statement also states Gutierrez-Reed never witnessed anyone shoot live rounds. "[The guns] were locked up every night and at lunch," it read.

Hutchins reportedly said 'That was no good at all' after being shot by Baldwin

In a October 31 Los Angeles Times story, more details were revealed about what happened on the set of "Rust" leading up to the death of Hutchins, including what she said after being shot.

Hutchins made the comment "that was no good at all" to a boom operator right after Baldwin fired the gun inside the small church set where the actor was rehearsing the scene. She was just two feet away from the gun when the actor fired.

Someone shouted, "Medic!" as crewmembers frantically gathered around Hutchins to try to stop the bleeding, according to the newspaper.

"Oh, that was no good," a boom operator reportedly said. Hutchins replied with: "No…that was no good. That was no good at all," the news outlet reported.

Hours later, Hutchins was pronounced dead at University of New Mexico Hospital.

The account reported by the Los Angeles Times was based on interviews with 14 "Rust" crew members, including nine who were on set the day of the shooting, as well as film permits and emails, and text messages from the "Rust" production.

In his first in-depth interview following the shooting, Baldwin said he 'didn't pull the trigger'

In an interview with ABC that aired on December 2, Baldwin claims he never actually pulled the trigger in the shooting of Hutchins.

"The trigger wasn't pulled," he told George Stephanopoulos. "I didn't pull the trigger."

"I would never point a gun at anyone and pull a trigger at them," he continued. "Even now, I find it hard to believe that. It doesn't seem real to me."

Stephanopoulos asked Baldwin, who is also a producer on the movie, how this happened and how a real bullet could have gotten on the New Mexico set.

"I have no idea," Baldwin said. "Someone put a live bullet in a gun. A bullet that was not even supposed to be on the property."

Gutierrez-Reed was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter

In April 2024, Gutierrez-Reed was given a maximum sentence of 18 months in prison for involuntary manslaughter in the shooting of Hutchins.

"You alone turned a safe weapon into a lethal weapon," Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer said in court, according to ABC News. "But for you, Ms. Hutchins would be alive. A husband would have his partner, and a little boy would have his mother."

Gutierrez told the court, "My heart aches for the Hutchins family and friends and colleagues, as well."

Baldwin's involuntary manslaughter case was thrown out after his lawyers accused prosecutors of hiding evidence

In July 2024, Sommer dismissed Baldwin's case after the actor's lawyers accused prosecutors of hiding evidence.

The judge dismissed the case, which was only three days old, with prejudice — which means Baldwin cannot be indicted again on the same charge — and ruled that the state withheld key evidence.

Baldwin's lawyers alleged that prosecutors and police withheld evidence on the source of the live round that killed Hutchins.

"The state's withholding of the evidence was wilful and deliberate," Sommer said in court, according to Reuters. "Dismissal with prejudice is warranted to ensure the integrity of the judicial system and the efficient administration of justice."

In late September, Gutierrez-Reed was denied a new trial as her lawyers could not convince Sommer that the evidence dispute that got Baldwin off prevented Gutierrez-Reed from having a fair trial.

'Rust' will have its world premiere in November at a film festival in Poland

In October, EnergaCamerimage, a Polish film festival focused on cinematography, announced it would host the world premiere of "Rust" during its festival, which runs from November 16 to 23.

There will also be a panel discussion to follow that will include Souza. Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that Baldwin will not attend.

According to the EnergaCamerimage website, Hutchins convinced Souza in the early days of the "Rust" production that the movie should be shown at the festival.