Audio recordings of 911 calls made in Rust by Alec Baldwin’s crew have revealed desperate attempts to save their colleague and allegations of negligence.
Mamie Mitchell was the film’s script supervisor after Baldwin had accidentally shot Halyna Utchins, 42, as well as Joel Souza, 48.
The tragedy struck as the group was filming in the desert outside Santa Fe (New Mexico) on Thursday.
Mitchell, a veteran script supervisor whose credits date back to 1974, calls the assistant director and accuses him of negligence.
Mitchell calls 911 to tell the woman that he needs an ambulance at Bonanza Creek Ranch. We have had two people accidentally shot at a movie set.
Mitchell is talking on the phone and instructing someone else to ‘clear’ the road to allow the ambulance to access the site.
Mitchell is then transported to Santa Fe fire & EMS and, sounding panicked urges for a rapid response.
‘Bonanza Creek ranch. Two people were accidentally shot by a prop gun on a movie set.
“We need your help immediately. Bonanza Creek ranch. Come on.
David Halls is the Assistant Director of Rust. Baldwin was starring in and producing the Western movie when he accidentally killed Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza.
Mitchell is then asked by the 911 operators for her details.
Mitchell, who worked on films such as No Country For Old Men, Sicario, and 3:10 To Yuma, can be heard saying, “It sounds like someone else is calling for ambulances.”
“Everybody should be. We need some help.
“Our director and our camerawoman have been shot.”
She then asks a set member: “Are they going take him to the highway?”
The 911 operator asks: “So, was it loaded avec a real gun or not?”
Mitchell replied, “I don’t, I can’t tell you that.” Two injuries were caused by a movie gunshot.
While the phone operator is inputting the details, Mitchell can be heard telling someone else: ‘OK, this f****** AD that yelled at me at lunch asking about revisions, this motherf*****.
‘Did he see me lean over my desk, and yell at you? He’s supposed inspect the guns. He’s responsible.
According to a Santa Fe court warrant, the gun was one the three that Hannah Gutierrez (the film’s armorer) had set on a cart just outside the wooden structure in which a scene was being acted.
Assistant director Dave Halls took the gun from the cart, and brought it into Baldwin. He was unaware that it contained live rounds. Detectives wrote in the application.
It is not known whether Mitchell was referring Halls in the audio.
It was unclear how many rounds had been fired. Gutierrez took out a shell casing from her gun and turned it over to police upon arrival, according to court records.
Mitchell is confused when the 911 operator asks Mitchell how many people were hurt. Mitchell then replies: “No, no. I’m a supervisor of scripts.”
Mitchell replies, “Two that are known to me.” It went off while I was rehearsing, and I ran to get it. We all went out there, but we doubled over the director and the camerawoman.
She tells another person, “They are clearing the roads, can you go back, back in town, back at the Western camp.”
Mitchell is confused and hands the phone to a man.
“Hello?” The man responds, “Hello?”
“Hi, I have a list of questions that I need to ask you.” “If you could answer them as well as possible,” the 911 operator said. “Are they fully alert?”
The man responds: “Yes, they’re alert.”
Operator asks if the bleeding is controlled. Man replies: “Let’s check if we can get closer… No.
It is unclear if he means to say that the bleeding is not controlled or that he cannot get closer.
“We’ve got one laid down,” he informs the operator, adding that they are close to gate one and have a van ready for escorting the ambulances to the spot.
After speaking with investigators, Baldwin was seen looking distraught outside the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office.
The woman calls back, saying: “Hi, I’m calling from Bonanza Creek Ranch.” We actually need two ambulances and not one.
The operator replied: “OK, so we’re making a call now for someone else and we’ll get 2 up to you.”
The woman, her voice straining, responds, “OK.” That’s about 10 to 15 minutes.
“I don’t know, we’re getting these right now, to your now,” the operator replies.
“What?” “What?” The woman sounds panicked, as she talks to another person.
“We have two ambulances on their way.”
“What?” The woman replies, “What?”. She then speaks to the operator again, “OK, thank-you.”
Operator replies: “You’re welcomed, bye.”
Mitchell later stated that Mitchell was standing next Hutchins when she shot Mitchell.
Mitchell said that he ran to 911 and said, “Bring everyone, send everybody.”
“This woman is gone at her beginning of her career. She was an extraordinary, rare and very special woman.
Mitchell said that Mitchell and other crewmembers were attending a private funeral service Friday night in Santa Fe.
Baldwin described the killing of Baldwin as a “tragic accident.”
“There are no words that can express my shock and sadness at the tragic accident that claimed the life of Halyna Houtchins, a wife and mother, and a colleague who we deeply admire,” Baldwin wrote on Twitter. Baldwin shared his thoughts on Twitter, stating that Baldwin is fully cooperating in the police investigation.
“My heart breaks for her husband, their son and all those who loved Halyna.
Juan Rios, the sheriff’s spokesperson said Baldwin was allowed to travel.
‘He’s a free man,’ Rios said.