KEY POINTS

  • Alec Baldwin was rehearsing a 'cross draw' when his gun accidentally discharged
  • Halyna Hutchins, who got shot in the chest, fell backward, saying she couldn't feel her legs
  • A crew member immediately dialed 911

Days after the fatal shooting on the set of Alec Baldwin's "Rust," a search warrant affidavit has revealed distressing details about the final moments of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

Baldwin was reportedly rehearsing a 'cross draw' technique, which involves pulling out a gun from a holster on the opposite side of his body, and aiming at the camera when the prop gun accidentally discharged last Thursday.

The crew had just returned from lunch. Baldwin was rehearsing the scene and nothing was being filmed or recorded, the search warrant affidavit obtained by CNN said.

Director Joel Souza said things were going smoothly though they were behind schedule that day. Assistant director Dave Halls fetched a prop gun from a cart around 1.50 p.m. and yelled "cold gun!" meaning it didn't have any live rounds.

He handed over the weapon to Baldwin. Souza was viewing the scene through the camera and nearby monitors when he heard "what sounded like a whip and then a loud pop."

Suddenly, Hutchins fell backward, clutching her stomach. She complained she couldn't feel her legs, Souza told Santa Fe County Sheriff's deputies. It was then that Souza, who was beside her, noticed blood on his shoulder, according to the affidavit.

A panicked crew member immediately dialed 911 while a medic struggled to stop Hutchins' bleeding. A woman, who described herself as the film's script supervisor, told the operator, "Two people have been accidentally shot on a movie set by a prop gun. We need help immediately."

The woman said "a director and a camerawoman have been shot," according to a transcript of the call obtained by ABC-affiliated television station KOAT. She said she "cannot tell" whether the prop gun was loaded with real bullets.

"We have two injuries from a movie, gunshot ... I was sitting, we were rehearsing and it went off, and I ran out. We all ran out. They were doubled over ... the camerawoman and the director," she added.

The caller was then heard talking to someone else about what happened. "He's supposed to check the gun he's responsible for," she could be heard saying in the background.

The CNN report added that another 911 call came soon after, from an unidentified man on the set. The dispatcher told him an ambulance was on the way and gave instructions on how to stop the victims' bleeding. The caller said a medic was helping the injured persons.

Hutchins was airlifted to a hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but she was pronounced dead there. Souza too was moved to the hospital. He suffered a gunshot to his shoulder and is recovering.

Baldwin then changed into his street clothes and gave his blood-stained Western outfit to the sheriff's deputies. He gave the prop gun to Hannah Gutierrez, who was overseeing firearms on movie sets. She took the spent casing out and handed it to detectives.

Souza said Gutierrez had placed three prop guns on the cart before Halls grabbed one and handed it to Baldwin. Souza added he believed the gun was unloaded and safe.

Souza also spoke about the possibility of cast or crew members bringing live ammunition and live rounds to the set, reported the Los Angeles Times.

"Joel said as far as he knows, no one gets checked for live ammunition on their person prior and after the scenes are being filmed," the affidavit said. "The only thing checked are the firearms to avoid live ammunition being in them. Joel stated there should never be live rounds whatsoever, near or around the scene."

Tragedy struck the set of low-budget Western "Rust" in New Mexico
Tragedy struck the set of low-budget Western "Rust" in New Mexico AFP / Anne LEBRETON