Fri 22 October 2021:
Authorities said a prop gun fired by veteran actor Alec Baldwin, who is producing and starring in a Western film, killed his director of photography and injured his director on the set outside of Santa Fe.
Halyna Hutchins, the director of photography for the film Rust, and director Joel Souza were shot on Thursday, according to Santa Fe County Sheriff’s officials.
Hutchins, 42, was taken to the University of New Mexico Hospital, where medical workers pronounced her dead, according to authorities.
Souza, 48, was transferred to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center by ambulance, where his injuries are being treated.
According to police, no charges have been filed so far, but the witnesses continue to be interviewed by detectives.
A spokesperson for Baldwin said there was an accident on the set involving the misfire of a prop gun with blanks.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reported the 68-year-old Baldwin was seen on Thursday outside the sheriff’s office in tears, but attempts to get comment from him were unsuccessful.
The International Cinematographers Guild confirmed that the woman fatally shot was Hutchins, a cinematographer.
“The details are unclear at this moment, but we are working to learn more, and we support a full investigation into this tragic event,” guild president John Lindley and executive director Rebecca Rhine said in a statement.
I’m so sad about losing Halyna. And so infuriated that this could happen on a set. She was a brilliant talent who was absolutely committed to art and to film. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/vcdFqHsGA0
— Adam Egypt Mortimer (@adamegypt) October 22, 2021
Hutchins, 42, was director of photography on the 2020 action film Archenemy, starring Joe Manganiello. A 2015 graduate of the American Film Institute, she was named a “rising star” by American Cinematographer in 2019.
Police responded around 2pm to the movie set at the Bonanza Creek Ranch after 911 calls came in of a person being shot on set, sheriff’s spokesman Juan Rios said.
He said detectives were investigating how and what type of projectile was discharged.
“This investigation remains open and active,” Rios said in a statement. “No charges have been filed in regard to this incident. Witnesses continue to be interviewed by detectives.”
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