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'Rust' director recounts the moment he was shot on set, during testimony in trial of armorer

Director Joel Souza testifies in the trial against Hannah Gutierrez-Reed in state district court in Santa Fe, N.M., on Friday, March 1, 2024. (Eddie Moore / Albuquerque Journal via AP, Pool) Director Joel Souza testifies in the trial against Hannah Gutierrez-Reed in state district court in Santa Fe, N.M., on Friday, March 1, 2024. (Eddie Moore / Albuquerque Journal via AP, Pool)
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Joel Souza, the director and screenwriter of the 鈥淩ust鈥 film, took to the stand Friday in the involuntary manslaughter trial of the film鈥檚 armorer, to testify about the moment he was shot on set.

鈥淭here was an incredibly loud bang鈥 unlike typical discharges on set, Souza testified. 鈥淭his was deafening.鈥

Following the percussive outburst, Souza said, 鈥淚t felt like someone had taken a baseball bat to my shoulder, I remember that distinctly.鈥

Souza had been standing directly behind cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, trying to get a closer look at the shot in the film鈥檚 camera.

鈥淚 distinctly remember (Hutchins) being lowered to the ground, people had her sort of on either side. I still didn鈥檛 know what had happened. Nothing made sense,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 remember initially thinking, 鈥楬ad she been startled by it?鈥 and then I saw the blood on her back.鈥 Hutchins was during the October 2021 incident.

Souza recalled the chaotic scene unfolding and the presence of armorer Hannah Guttierez Reed, 鈥渟tanding there, looking distraught.鈥

鈥淚 remember her saying, 鈥業鈥檓 sorry, I鈥檓 sorry Joel鈥 and I remember somebody screaming at her and they just ushered her out,鈥 he recalled.

At the hospital, the filmmaker said did not understand he had been shot by a bullet.

鈥淚 knew something had got me, but they kept talking about this bullet and it just could not compute for me. I kept saying, 鈥榊ou don鈥檛 understand. No, no, no, this was a movie set. That鈥檚 not possible. You don鈥檛 get it,鈥 and, 鈥業t鈥檚 just not possible. It鈥檚 just not possible there鈥檚 a live round.鈥欌

Doctors then showed Souza the X-ray of his back.

鈥淭here was a very large bullet in it.鈥

has hinged on whether Gutierrez Reed, who was in charge of handling weapons on set, or Alec Baldwin and the film鈥檚 production team, are ultimately responsible for the shooting.

The New Mexico prosecutor Jason Lewis has said Gutierrez Reed鈥檚 failure to properly implement safety checks led to the live bullets making their way onto set. Alternately, her defense attorneys have emphasized the film鈥檚 production team fostered a chaotic environment and Reed, just 24 years old at the time, was given an unreasonable number of responsibilities on set.

Gutierrez Reed has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter charges. Baldwin has also pleaded not guilty to manslaughter charges .

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