RustDirector Shot by Alec Baldwin Says ‘I Don’t Know’ If Justice Was Served After Actor’s Case Was Dismissed

Mar. 15, 2025

‘Rust’ director Joel Souza and Alec Baldwin.Photo: Ron Adar/SOPA Images/Shutterstock; Mark Sagliocco/Getty Images

RustdirectorJoel Souzasays he’s not sure if justice was served after armorerHannah Gutierrez-Reedwas convicted of involuntary manslaughter andAlec Baldwin’s charge was dismissed: “I don’t know,”he toldVanity Fairin a new interview.

Baldwin was holding a prop gun on the New Mexico set of the Western movie in 2021 when it discharged,killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring Souza, who was struck in the shoulder.

The 66-year-old actor has longinsisted he did not pull the triggeror know why the gun accidentally contained live ammunition, but a grand juryindicted him on a charge of involuntary manslaughterin January.

In a dramatic twist on the third day of Baldwin’s trial in July, the star’s lawyers claimed prosecutors had withheld evidence and asked the judge in the case, Mary Marlowe Sommer, to dismiss the charge. Sommeragreed to the defense’s request, and issued a stinging rebuke of the prosecutors in the case.

If convicted, Baldwin would have faced 18 months in jail. Because Sommer dismissed the case with prejudice, Baldwin cannot be charged again in connection to the shooting.

Alec Baldwin in court on July 11.Ramsay de Give-Pool/Getty

Ramsay de Give-Pool/Getty

Gutierrez-Reed was convicted at trial in March and is currently serving an 18-month sentence, which she is appealing. In 2023, assistant director Dave Halls, took a plea deal for negligent use of a deadly weapon.

“I don’t know, and I don’t know what that even is anymore — I’ll be very honest with you about that,” he said. “No one feels good about someone going to jail. If you feel good about that, take a hard look in the mirror.”

Alec Baldwin on the set of ‘Rust.'.Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office/ZUMA Press Wire Service/Shutterstock

Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office/ZUMA Press Wire Service/Shutterstock

“I kept wanting to try to look over her right shoulder, to see that little monitor down below. To see what the angle looked like. But I couldn’t see over her. I got in behind her. When I tried to get a look, that’s when the gun fired. And then…yeah, all hell broke loose,” he said.

“It felt like a horse kicked me in the shoulder or someone hit me with a bat,” he continued. “The whole right side of my body went numb, completely numb, but it also hurt excruciatingly at the same time, if that makes sense.

“It’s bizarre to have been shot,” Souza added. “And then, who was holding the gun? That’s bizarre. I had this weird thought, like, God, I remember watchingThe Hunt for Red Octoberin the movie theater when I was a kid. It’s like your older self whispers to your younger self, ‘Hey, that guy…someday…’”

Halyna Hutchins in 2019.Fred Hayes/Getty

Souza was good friends with Hutchins, and said he initially hoped he would succumb to his injuries, too. The morning after he was shot, he was in disbelief.

“I had hoped it was a bad dream. It was just the beginning of the aftermath, and the beginning of a lot of grief for everybody. I was trying to pick up the pieces, such as they can be picked up,” he said.

In 2023, Souza eventually finished making the movie with Baldwin, filming the remainder in Montana. It’s an experience Souza called “tough,” adding. “We got through it. I got the performance I wanted. We’re not friends. We’re not enemies. There’s no relationship.”

source: people.com