Authorities say Alec Baldwin fired a prop firearm on the set of a Western he was filming in New Mexico on Thursday, killing the director of photography and wounded the director.
Around 1:50 p.m. on the set of “Rust,” which is being filmed in Santa Fe County, the cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, 42, was killed, and the director, Joel Souza, 48, was injured, according to Juan Rios, a spokesman for the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office. The shooting’s circumstances are being investigated.
According to Mr. Rios, the shooting at Bonanza Creek Ranch occurred during a sequence that was either being rehearsed or filmed. The Sheriff’s Office was interrogating personnel on the site to figure out how the two were shot, he added.
He stated, “Right now, we’re attempting to figure out how and what type of projectile was utilised in the rifle.”
On Thursday night, Mr. Rios stated that the Sheriff’s Office had not filed any charges in connection with the incident.
Mr. Rios said Ms. Hutchins was airlifted to the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque, where she subsequently died. Mr. Souza was transferred to the Santa Fe Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center. The status of Mr. Souza was not immediately available.
On Thursday night, the film’s producers and a spokesman for Mr. Baldwin, 63, did not respond to emails or phone calls.
“The whole cast and crew has been absolutely grieved by today’s tragedy, and we express our sincere condolences to Halyna’s family and loved ones,” the film’s production firm, Rust Movie Productions LLC, said in a statement. We’ve put the film on hold for an unknown amount of time and are completely working with the Santa Fe Police Department’s inquiry. As we struggle to comprehend this terrible occurrence, we will be providing counselling services to everyone associated to the film.”
Mr. Baldwin shared a snapshot of himself in his film costume on Instagram on Thursday morning, with what seemed to be a prosthetic wound on his torso.
Ms. Hutchins was born in Ukraine and raised on a Soviet military installation in the Arctic Circle, according to her website. In Ukraine, she studied journalism, while in Los Angeles, she studied film.
“At this time, the circumstances are unknown, but we are striving to learn more, and we support a thorough inquiry into this unfortunate event,” they stated in a statement. “This is a tragic loss for our Guild, and we lament the loss of a member of our family.”
Rust Movie Productions will employ 75 staff workers, 22 performers, and 230 “background talent,” according to a statement released by the New Mexico Film Office on Oct. 6.
According to IMDb, “Rust” is a film about a 13-year-old boy who goes on the run with his estranged grandfather after accidentally killing a local rancher. Mr. Souza directed the picture, which will be shot this month and next month, and stars Frances Fisher and Mr. Baldwin, who is also producing it.
The shooting mimicked a 1993 tragedy on a movie set in which Brandon Lee, Bruce Lee’s son, was shot and killed when a bullet trapped in the barrel of a gun was discharged together with a blank cartridge during a scene.
When Jon-Erik Hexum was pretending to play Russian roulette on TV in 1984, he accidently shot himself in the head and died.
Mr. Baldwin is an Emmy Award-winning actor who has appeared in numerous films, plays, and television shows. On the NBC sitcom “30 Rock,” he played Jack Donaghy, an oblivious and domineering TV producer, in one of his most well-known performances.
He also wore a custom-made wig, glued-on eyebrows, and puckered lips to play Donald J. Trump on “Saturday Night Live.” On social media, he and Mr. Trump had a few spats.
Mr. Baldwin has also had run-ins with the law in the past.
He was detained in Manhattan in 2014 after riding his bicycle the wrong way down Fifth Avenue near 16th Street. Officers charged him with disorderly conduct when he grew confrontational, according to them.
Mr. Baldwin pled guilty to harassment in Manhattan Criminal Court in 2019 and agreed to complete an anger management course as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors to resolve charges that he punched a man after a parking place dispute.
