After Alec Baldwin Shot Halyna Hutchins, She Uttered Two Sentences Before Dying
A boom operator looked into Halyna Hutchins's eyes and said, "Oh, that was no good."
Published March 12 2025, 9:20 a.m. ET
In the days following the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, tributes poured in honoring her as a talented artist. Adam Egypt Mortimer, who directed Archenemy, told BBC News that she was an "incredible artist who was just starting a career I think people were really starting to notice." This is supported by the fact that in February 2019, Hutchins was named a rising star in cinematography by American Cinematographer Magazine.
Fellow cinematographer Catherine Goldschmidt told BBC News that Hutchins was already responsible for such beautiful work, it was heartbreaking to think of what she could have accomplished. Goldschmidt also touched on the fact that Hutchins was a mother, which made a devastating situation all the more painful. Witnesses who were on there the day Hutchins was killed recalled her last words. Here's what we know.
What were Halyna Hutchins's last words?
Just outside of Santa Fe, N.M., a film crew was setting up for another scene. Actor Alec Baldwin was playing an 1880s Kansas outlaw in a Western called Rust, for which he was also a producer. As he was waiting, Baldwin was practicing pulling a prop gun out of his holster. Placing his hand on the Colt .45 he said, "So, I guess I’m gonna take this out, pull it, and go, 'Bang!'" What he didn't know was the gun contained live ammunition.
The gun was pointed toward Hutchins as well as director Joel Souza who was standing behind her. Baldwin pulled the trigger and a lead bullet tore through Hutchins, then hit Souza. According to the Los Angeles Times, Hutchins fell into the arms of the head electrician. Souza screamed, "What the f--k was that? That burns!"
A crew member yelled for a medic as Hutchins was bleeding on the ground. One of the boom operators looked right into her eyes and said, "Oh, that was no good." She replied, "No, that was no good. That was no good at all." Those were her last words before Mamie Mitchell, the film’s script supervisor, called 911. Less than 13 minutes later, the Santa Fe County Fire Department emergency responders arrived.
Hutchins was soon airlifted to the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque and was pronounced dead soon after. A memorial was held for Hutchins in Santa Fe the following day as production for the film was wrapped.
Halyna Hutchins's husband was angry at Alec Baldwin.
In March 2024, Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed's involuntary manslaughter trial began. She was convicted, sentenced to 18 months in prison, and was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine. Baldwin was also charged with involuntary manslaughter, but his trial ended in a dismissal. Before Baldwin knew he was going to stand trial, he spoke with ABC News less than two months after Hutchins's death.
The actor told George Stephanopoulos, "Someone is responsible for what happened, and I can’t say who that is, but it’s not me." When Hutchins's husband saw that interview, he told TODAY that he was "just so angry to see him talk about her death so publicly in such a detailed way and then to not accept any responsibility after having just described killing her." Matt Hutchins continued, "I just feel — are we really supposed to feel bad about you, Mr. Baldwin?"