According to Variety, actor Alec Baldwin fired a gun at the film set in New Mexico this Thursday, October 21st, accidentally killing director of photography Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.
The episode occurred during the filming of the movie “Rust“, an independent production that was filmed at Bonanza Creek Ranch in southern Santa Fe. The director of photography 42 was transported by helicopter to the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque, but did not resist and died.
Joel, 48, took an ambulance to the Regional Medical Center, where he is treating the wounds, according to the Santa Fe Police Station. In a statement, the local sheriff’s office said:
“They were shot when Alec Baldwin, 68, producer and actor, fired a gun“
Actor Alec Baldwin fatally shot one person and injured another in what seem to be an accident on the set of his new movie involving a prop gun.
Production has been halted due to the ongoing investigation but authorities say no charges have been filed#alecbaldwin #DallasDistrict pic.twitter.com/b4fSpbfTA3— Dallas District (@dallasdistrict1) October 22, 2021
Also according to the publication, no one has been arrested and so far no charges have been filed . Detectives continue to interview witnesses and the incident is being considered in an “open and active” investigation, as the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
“The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office confirms that two people were shot while filming a scene on the western set of the movie ‘Rust.’ According to investigators, it appears that the scene being filmed involved the use of a weapon at the time of the shooting.
Detectives are investigating how and what type of projectile was fired” the sheriff’s office reported.
The production company’s owner and executive director of production, John Lindley and Rebecca Rhine, also spoke:
“We received devastating news tonight that one of our members, Halyna Hutchins, the director of photography for a production called ‘Rust’ in New Mexico, died from injuries sustained on set (…) Details are unclear about so we are working to learn more and we support a thorough investigation into this tragic event. This is a terrible loss, and we mourn the passing of a member of our Guild family”