Is Bonanza Creek Ranch cursed? Musician damaged ear in 2006 shooting at 'Rust' site
The Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico is currently locked down, after a shooting during the filming of 'Rust'. The death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins has put a lot of focus on the production of the film, revealing some truly shocking details over the past few days. Now, we can reveal that it's not just the production that has issues with negligence, but also the location. Back in 2006, the ranch was sued by a musician, who was left with permanent ear damage after an incident there.
As we have reported, the 'Rust' crew led by armorer Hannah Gutierrez and Assistant Director Dave Halls routinely ignored safety on the set, which tragically ended in the shooting of Hutchins. The sudden and shocking death has left Hollywood in tears, with many calling for real guns to be banned from sets. To that end, 'The Rookie' has become the first major production to outlaw firearms, with several others expected to follow.
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Most of what we know about Hutchins' shooting comes from court documents as the police are still investigating the case. A dive into old documents by The Sun revealed that the location does appear to have issues of its own, with gun safety being called into question back in 2006 by musician Sean Helean. Reportedly, he was left with permanent ear damage as a result of an accidental gun discharge, leading to a lawsuit that was eventually settled out of court.
Bonanza Creek Ranch's history of gun violence
Built from the ruins of the mining town of Bonanza City, the ranch has served as a major Hollywood set since the 1950s. From 'Silverado' to 'Cowboys & Aliens', and ' 3:10 to Yuma' to 'The Man from Laramie', a large number of westerns have been shot at the ranch. Notably, though, it wasn't during filming that gun violence last struck the ranch, but during a live music event. Documents show that in 2006, Helean sued the ranch as well as others over an accidental discharge.
The Sun states, Helean "was setting up his band equipment to perform" when gunslinger Shawn Caffrey "in a drunken state fired a pistol next to Sean Helean’s ear." Reportedly, Caffrey was hired as a gunslinging reenactor and was allowed to keep possession of his gun even though he was drunk. It's unclear why Caffrey was allowed to keep his gun, and if it was filled with real bullets or blanks. All the suit mentions is that he fired it near Helean's ear, resulting in permanent ear damage.
Helean and his wife sued Caffrey, as well as his employers, Ye Old West and Ye Old World Living History Foundation and the ranch. They asked for an undisclosed sum in damages before they eventually agreed to a settlement. It's not clear how much they agreed on. Beyond The Sun's story, there isn't any mention of the incident in the media, so we haven't been able to find out more.
It is widely believed that 'Rust' will now be canned, with Baldwin taking a long time off to recover from the incident. As for the ranch, it is expected to reopen once investigations are complete. Back in 2019, Netflix agreed to spend $1 billion on productions over 10 years in New Mexico after acquiring local studio Albuquerque Studios in 2018. The Bonanza Creek Ranch is expected to host many of the productions, given its significance and location in the state.
