Cinematographer Halyna Hutchin has died during an Alec Baldwin shooting scene after a prop gun was fired during production. Director, 48-year-old director Joel Souza has also been injured in the incident.
Halyna Hutchins, 42, was shot on set of Alec Baldwin’s latest film whilst working as a director of photography.
She was quickly flown to hospital by helicopter but sadly succumbed to her injuries.
The movie, Rust, was being filmed at the Bonanza Creek ranch which is just outside Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The synopsis for the movie reads as follows:
Harland Rust is an outlaw with a bounty on his head. When his thirteen-year-old grandson Lucas is convicted of accidental murder and sentenced to hang, Rust travels to Kansas to break him out of prison.
Filming has been temporarily suspended following the incident.
Santa Fe County deputies were called to the scene after the incident took place on Thursday.
Police are investigating the incident but have stated that no charges have been filed.
A spokesperson for Mr Baldwin said the incident involved a prop gun misfiring with blanks.
In a statement to AFP news agency, a Santa Fe sheriff spokesman said Mr Baldwin had spoken to detectives.
“He came in voluntarily and he left the building after he finished his interviews,” the spokesman said.
Alec Baldwin is a co-producer of the film which tells the store of an outlaw whose 13-year-old grandson is convicted of manslaughter.
The news has come as a devastating blow to the industry with many thinking back to that fateful day in 1993 where Brandon Lee, the 28-year-old son of Bruce Lee died on set after being accidentally shot with a prop gun during filming for The Crow.
In that instance, Brandon Lee’s death was down to a cartridge that had become lodged in the barrel when the gun was previously fired.
Once blank rounds were later fired the cartridge became dislodged and released, killing Lee.
Responding to Thursday’s news of the shooting, Brandon Lee’s sister Shannon tweeted:
“Our hearts go out to the family of Halyna Hutchins and to Joel Souza and all involved in the incident on ‘Rust’. No-one should ever be killed by a gun on a film set. Period.”
Here is the following police statement in full:
Santa Fe County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the Bonanza Creek Ranch movie set of the western Rust, October 21, 2021, when a 911 caller reported a shooting on the set.
The sheriff’s office confirms that two individuals were shot on the set of Rust. Halyna Hutchins, 42, director of photography and Joel Souza, 48, director, were shot when a prop firearm was discharged by Alec Baldwin, 63, producer and actor.
Ms Hutchins was transported, via helicopter, to University of New Mexico Hospital where she was pronounced dead by medical personnel.
Mr Souza was transported by ambulance to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Centre where he is undergoing treatment for his injuries.
This investigation remains open and active. No charges have been filed in regard to this incident. Witnesses continue to be interviewed by detectives.
