Alec Baldwin ‘Rust’ shooting victims: Who are Halyna Hutchins and Joel Souza?
‘Rust’ shooting victims Halyna Hutchins and Joel Souza are not nearly as widely known as star Alec Baldwin. Here is some information about them
Alec Baldwin, who authorities say fired a “prop firearm” on the New Mexico movie set of “Rust” on Thursday, leading to the death of a cinematographer and the wounding of the film’s director, is known to millions for a hugely successful acting career that has lasted decades.
But the two shooting victims – cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, who died in an Albuquerque hospital, and director Joel Souza, 48, who was treated then reportedly released from a Santa Fe hospital, are not nearly as widely known. Here is some information about them.
Halyna Hutchins
Halyna Hutchins, according to her website, was a Los Angeles-based cinematographer who was born in Ukraine and grew up on a Soviet military base in the Arctic Circle. She described her childhood as being “surrounded by reindeer and nuclear submarines.”


Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, died in an Albuquerque hospital after Thursday’s shooting incident, while director Joel Souza, 48, was being treated in a Santa Fe hospital
Before joining the crew of “Rust,” Hutchins worked on film productions such as “Blindfire,” a police drama, and “Darlin’,” a horror film, according to her website.
Joel Souza
Joel Souza is based in the San Francisco area. His previous works have included 2019’s “Crown Vic,” a police drama that, like “Rust,” also featured Alec Baldwin as a producer.
According to the film site IMDb, “Crown Vic” marked Souza’s debut as a director of feature films.
Some initial reports said Souza was critically wounded in Thursday’s shooting, but early Friday “Rust” co-star Frances Fisher tweeted that Souza had been released from the hospital. She also disputed some published reports about the incident.