Blank Round
Cases unlock in order, like levels. This is case 38 of 100.
Pinnacle Studios, Burbank, California, 1947. 2:10 pm. On the western street set of "The Last Sheriff", star Rex Calloway fell into the dust during the duel scene and never got up again.
The Colt for the scene was supposed to hold six blanks. One of them was a live round. The shot was fired at 2:10 pm by the stuntman doubling for the villain in the wide shot.
The gun spent lunch, from 1 pm to 2 pm, in the armorer's truck. Three people knew where it was. One of them swapped the cartridge.
The studio's production office, a ceiling fan turning slowly, western posters on the walls.
Suspects
Gus KowalskiStudio armorer, 58
Leland AshbyFilm director, 50
Wade HollisterVillain's stunt double, 29
The real case
The death of Halyna Hutchins on the set of "Rust"
New Mexico, United States, October 2021
This case is a work of fiction. The characters, names, places and events in the game do not portray real people. The account below is a factual summary, based on public sources, of the case that served as inspiration.
On 21 October 2021, during a rehearsal for a scene in the western "Rust", a revolver that was supposed to hold only blanks fired a live round. Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, was killed; the film's director was wounded. She left behind a husband and a young son.
The investigation looked into how live ammunition ended up on a film set and who was responsible for the weapon. The production's armorer was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2024 and served an 18-month sentence; the case against the actor holding the gun was dismissed. In 1993, a similar failure had killed actor Brandon Lee on the set of "The Crow".
The game borrows only the situation: a prop gun that should have held blanks and fires a live round. The sabotage plot, the characters and the outcome are fiction and bear no relation to the real people.
Sources
Case glossary
Words from this case you might not know.
- armorer
- The person responsible for maintaining, loading and handling the firearms on a film set.
- wide shot
- A camera shot taken from far away, showing whole figures and much of their surroundings.