David Holz, assistant director of the Western film “Rust,” broke more than two years of silence, describing in vivid detail the scene of Alec Baldwin’s fatal shooting to cinematographer Halena Hutchins.
On October 21, 2021, Baldwin, the film's star, and others were preparing for a scene on set in New Mexico. Baldwin was sitting on a pew in a country church, slowly pulling a Colt .45 single-action revolver from his leather shoulder holster and pointing it at the camera. Baldwin's character was about to engage in a shootout with actors portraying lawmen who were storming the church to arrest Baldwin, who was playing a hardened outlaw named Harland Rust.
The actor pointed the gun at Hutchins, a rising star in the film industry.
“Then the gun went off,” Holz said Thursday on the sixth day of testimony during the criminal trial of gunmaker Hannah Gutierrez in Santa Fe. N.M. Gutierrez has pleaded not guilty to felony manslaughter and tampering with evidence. If convicted, she faces up to three years in prison.
After the shooting, Hutchins, who was 3 feet away from him, collapsed to the ground, Holz said.
“I was probably her first person. She was on the ground,” Holz said, adding that he looked at her and asked, “Are you okay?”
“She said, ‘I can’t feel my legs,’” Holz recalled.
Holz, who choked with emotion on the stand, is one of three people criminally charged in connection with Hutchins' death. Last year, Holz pleaded no contest to reckless use of a deadly weapon and was given a six-month suspended sentence, which Holz said expired last October. Holz agreed to pay a $500 fine, participate in a firearms safety class, abstain from using drugs or alcohol, and complete 24 hours of community service. He also agreed to testify in court about the incident.
Baldwin was indicted by a grand jury last month on a charge of manslaughter. Baldwin denied responsibility for the shooting and pleaded not guilty.
His trial is scheduled for July.
So far, the assistant director, who was also the safety coordinator for the low-budget Western, has avoided making public statements about the tragedy. His attorney previously told New Mexico 1st Judicial District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer that Holz “felt guilty” and retired from Hollywood after a nearly 40-year career.
On Thursday, he explained why he was eager to testify in Gutierrez's trial.
“It's important to me that she knows the truth, and that Halina's husband, her son and her family know the truth about what happened,” Holz said. “It's important that the cast, crew and producers of 'Rust' know what happened. And it's important that the industry – the film and TV industry – knows what happened so this never happens again.”
However, Holz's recollection of the main event varies from other witnesses to the shooting. At least one crew member testified that it was Holz who handed the loaded gun to Baldwin, declaring that it was “cold,” meaning there was no live ammunition — such as a blank bullet — inside.
Gutierrez first brought him the gun and showed him the chamber was empty, Holz said Thursday. He said she later returned to the church, showed him mock rounds in the gun room and handed the gun directly to Baldwin, who was sitting on a bench, in full gear, preparing for the scene.
The cameras were not working at the time of filming.
In the hours after the shooting, Baldwin said Gutierrez was the one who handed him the gun. But Baldwin has since told Santa Fe County investigators that Holz handed him the gun. Gutierrez also testified that she was only at the church briefly — to give Holz the gun. She said she turned the cylinder so Holz could see there were dummy or inert bullets inside, and left before Holz handed Baldwin the gun.
Gutierrez testified that she was pulled in two directions while trying to act as armor maker and props assistant.
Brian Carpenter, an experienced gunsmith and former law enforcement officer, testified earlier Thursday that a gun-heavy movie like “Rust” should have had two gunsmiths, not an inexperienced gun wizard trying to juggle two lead roles.
Another witness, Dolly Grape Ross Adejo, testified earlier in the week that he was also at the church on the fateful afternoon. Adego said he saw Holz give Baldwin the gun.
Addiego also testified that Halls would frequently skip safety meetings. Such meetings are not required, Holz said Thursday.
Addiego said the production of “Rust” was fast, calling it the “ludicrous” pace of shooting a Western.
Adejo described the growing “chaos” on the day of the tragic shooting, which came the morning after six film crew resigned in protest, citing security lapses on set and a lack of nearby housing. Instead of pausing production, the production managers kept moving forward by looking for two new camera operators.
Because the camera crew was out, the on-set video village, which normally allows the director, cinematographer and others to watch camera movement remotely, was not in use. For this reason, Hutchins and director Joel Souza were in the church “blocking” the scene with Baldwin and Holz.
Holz said Thursday that he quickly left the church after the shooting, but returned later.
“I went back to church. I went to bed… [and] “I grabbed the gun,” Holz said. “I left the church and went to Miss Gutierrez's house [prop] The cart… I took it to her and said I want you to unload that gun. I want to know what's inside it.”
The trial, which was broadcast live on Court TV, is expected to continue until March 6.
