By: Madelynn Loring, Staff Writer

On October 21, 2021, tragedy struck the set of upcoming Western drama Rust. While rehearsing a scene, Alec Baldwin, the lead actor of the film, fired a live round from a revolver, killing award-winning cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza. Since then, Hollywood has been reeling from the shock of this traumatic event. The actor has reportedly been distraught, making only a few public statements about the event and complying completely with law enforcement investigations. Rust Production Studios, responsible for the production of the film, released a statement claiming that, “the safety of the cast and crew is [their] top priority,” yet conflicting stories have emerged from the set concerning the accuracy of this claim.