An incident involving a prop firearm has left one crewmember dead and another injured on the set of an upcoming movie being shot in New Mexico. Actor Alec Baldwin is believed to have discharged the firearm, injuring the movie’s director and killing the director of photography.
The Hollywood Reporter understands that the movie’s DOP Halyna Hutchins was airlifted to University of New Mexico Hospital following the shooting, where she was pronounced dead. She was 42 years old. Director Joel Souza remains in critical condition at the time of writing.
An investigation is underway, although no charges have been filed yet, according to reports.
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"We're trying to determine right now how and what type of projectile was used in the firearm," said a spokesperson for the Santa Fe County Sherriff's Office told New York Times.
Baldwin was filming Rust, a Western in which he stars and serves as producer. A spokesperson for the movie has explained the prop gun contained blanks that misfired, though it’s currently unclear how this happened. Filming has been halted while investigations are carried out.
Meanwhile, friends and colleagues have paid tribute to Hutchins. The cinematographer was named a "rising star" by the American Cinematographer magazine in 2019.
Director Adam Egypt Mortimer, who worked with Hutchins on 2020 action flick Archenemy, said he was “infuriated” that something like this could have happened on set.
The International Cinematographer's Guild added in a statement that Hutchins' death was "devastating news" and "a terrible loss". They have confirmed they support a “full investigation” into the tragic event.
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Featured Image Credit: Adam Egypt Mortimer via Twitter/Warner Bros.
Topics: TV And Film
