The tragic accident unfolded while Baldwin was filming his upcoming western film Rust at Bonanza Creek Ranch in Sante Fe.Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, died and director, Joel Souza, 48, “were shot when a prop firearm was discharged by Alec Baldwin,” the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said.Immediately after the incident, an eyewitness told Hollywood gossip site Showbiz 411 that Baldwin started asking how he could have been given a “hot gun” – meaning a firearm loaded with real ammunition.“In all my years, I’ve never been handed a hot gun,” the actor allegedly kept saying.The witness said Baldwin was in shock after the ordeal and he “had no idea how badly they were hurt or Halyna was dead”.The film set was sent into lockdown and production was halted immediately after the accidental double shooting, which unfolded at about 2pm local time (7am AEDT).Hutchins was airlifted to the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque where she died from her injuries.The director is currently being treated at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Centre in Santa Fe, authorities said.Photos showed Baldwin crying on the phone and bent over in the car park of a Santa Fe police station where he had been taken for questioning.Hutchins’ death was confirmed by the Sheriff’s office, who received a 911 call reporting the incident.“The Santa Fe County sheriff’s office confirms that two individuals were shot during filming of a scene on the set of the movie western ‘Rust’,” the office said in its initial statement. “According to investigators it appears that the scene being filmed involved the use of a prop firearm when it was discharged. Detectives are investigating how and what type of projectile was discharged.”No charges have currently been filed and detectives are still interviewing witnesses.HOLLYWOOD ‘DEVASTATED’ BY TRAGEDYRust Movie Productions LLC said in a statement: “The entire cast and crew has been absolutely devastated by today’s tragedy, and we send our deepest condolences to Halyna’s family and loved ones.“We have halted production on the film for an undetermined period of time and are fully co-operating with the Santa Fe Police Department’s investigation. We will be providing counselling services to everyone connected to the film as we work to process this awful event.” The International Cinematographers Guild, Local 600, also paid tribute to Hutchins after her death was confirmed. “We received the devastating news this evening, that one of our members, Halyna Hutchins, the Director of Photography on a production called ‘Rust’ in New Mexico died from injuries sustained on the set,” John Lindley, the president of the guild, and Rebecca Rhine, the executive director, said in a statement. “The details are unclear at this moment, but we are working to learn more, and we support a full investigation into this tragic event. This is a terrible loss, and we mourn the passing of a member of our Guild’s family.”Before the incident, Baldwin posted a photo of himself dressed in western wear from the set.“Back to in person at the office,” Baldwin wrote on social media. “Blimey … it’s exhausting.”Baldwin’s film location at Bonanza Creek Ranch in Sante Fe was sent into lockdown and production was stopped. A production spokesperson said it was an “accident”.“There was an accident today on the New Mexico set of Rust involving the misfire of a prop gun with blanks,” the spokesperson told Deadline.How a prop gun worksAccording to TMZ, sources said either shrapnel or a bullet struck Hutchins and Souza. Baldwin was not injured in the tragic incident.Hutchins graduated from the American Film Institute in 2015, and had worked on several short films before shooting Archenemy, a 2020 feature starring Joe Manganiello. She was named a “rising star” by American Cinematographer in 2019.Baldwin was a co-producer on Rust, as well as starring as Harland Rust, an outlaw with a price on his head. In the indie 19th century Western, Baldwin’s character travels to Kansas to break his estranged 13-year-old grandson out of prison after he is convicted of murder and is sentenced to hang, and the two go on the run together trying to evade the law and survive the harsh wilderness.Australian actor Travis Fimmel co-stars as one of the men on his tail trying to bring him to justice, and the movie also stars Frances Fisher, Jensen Ackles, and Brady Noon. Rust was shooting at Bonanza Creek Ranch in New Mexico, which has also hosted productions including Cowboys and Aliens with Daniel Craig and the Russell Crowe Western, The 3:10 to Yuma. Filming for Rust was set to continue into early November, according to the New Mexico Film Office.Baldwin’s spokesperson is yet to make a comment on the tragedy.
Source: Sun Herald
