Alec Baldwin accidentally shoots and kills cinematographer
‘Why was I handed a hot gun?’ What witness claims Alec Baldwin said after he accidentally shot and KILLED woman cinematographer, 42, with a gun ‘loaded with blanks’ and wounded film director on set of his new Western in New Mexico
- Alec Baldwin, 68, shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, on the set of upcoming film Rust
- Baldwin fired a prop gun that ejected a ‘projectile’ which hit Hutchins and Joel Souza, the film’s writer-director
- She was taken to hospital by air ambulance after the 1.50pm shooting, but was pronounced dead shortly after
- Souza, 48, was also wounded and taken to hospital but has since been released. His exact condition is unclear
- Baldwin reportedly asked why he was handed a ‘hot gun’ after the shooting, which typically means a gun loaded with real ammunition
- The film’s production company and others on set insist the gun was loaded with blanks – which can still be lethal if fired in close proximity
- The family of Brandon Bruce Lee, who was killed on the set of The Crow in 1993, said on Friday: ‘No one should be killed by a prop gun on a movie set’
- In his death, it was a fragment of a dummy shell that had been left in the gun that killed him – the crew thought the gun was loaded with blanks
Alec Baldwin allegedly repeatedly asked ‘why was I handed a hot gun?’ after he accidentally shot and killed a female cinematographer and wounded a director yesterday on the set of his new film Rust.
Halyna Hutchins, 42, died shortly after being shot by Baldwin around 1.50pm Thursday at Bonanza Creek Ranch, near the city of Santa Fe in New Mexico. Joel Souza, 48, the film’s director, was also hurt and spent several hours in hospital, but was released later the same evening.
Police have disclosed few details about the shooting, saying only that a ‘projectile’ was fired by a ‘prop gun’ and they are investigating. A spokesman for the movie’s production company later said that accident involved ‘the misfire of a prop gun loaded with blanks’.
A witness told Hollywood gossip site Showbiz 411 that Baldwin immediately began asking why he was handed a ‘hot gun’ – which typically means a gun loaded with real ammunition – after the shooting.
Though fatal accidents with blank ammunition are extremely rare, they do happen.
Brandon Lee, the 28-year-old son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, was shot and killed on the set of 1993 movie The Crow when part of a dummy round lodged in the barrel of a gun being used on set, before the blast from a second dummy round fired it into his stomach, causing fatal injuries.
Rhys Muldoon, an Australia actor who has worked extensively in film and TV, also suggested that a blank misfiring close to the camera could have caused Thursday’s accident – telling the BBC that material from the blank round could have struck Hutchins before causing part of the camera to hit Souza.
Mike Tristan, 60, a Hollywood armorer with 30 years’ experience who spoke to the Dailymail.com, said ultimate responsibility for gun safety on movie set rests with the armorer.
Alec Baldwin is pictured sobbing after shooting and killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his upcoming movie Rust in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Thursday
The 68 year-old actor was also snapped doubled-over in a parking lot, with his hands on his knees and his face seemingly crumpled with distress
Halyna Hutchins, 42, (left) was shot dead in the incident on Thursday at the Bonanza Creek Ranch movie set in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where writer-director Joel Souza, 48, (right) was also injured
Police tape cordons of a small church used as a set for the movie, after a fatal accidental shooting at a Bonanza Creek Ranch movie set near Santa Fe on Thursday
An image taken on the set of Rust shows cast and crew members receiving a safety briefing before filming stunts. The image was uploaded to Instagram a week ago
‘There should have been blanks in the gun, the on-set armorer’s job is to check that before handing the weapon over,’ Tristan said.
Bruce Lee’s son Brandon died in similar accident on The Crow set in 1993
Halyna Hutchins’ death is not the first time that a prop gun has killed someone during the filming of a movie.
In 1993, Brandon Lee, 28, son of the late martial-arts star Bruce Lee, died after being hit by a .44-caliber slug while filming a death scene for the movie The Crow.
The gun was supposed to have fired a blank, but an autopsy turned up a bullet lodged near his spine.
Actor Brandon Lee (above) was killed on the set of The Crow in 1993 when a blank round fired a squib load from the prop gun
In that case, an investigation determined that a bullet became lodged in the barrel of the gun, a dangerous condition known as a squib load.
The crew had made dummy cartridges, which are supposed to look like a real bullet but be inert, by removing the gunpowder from real bullets, but they failed to remove the primer charge.
At some point, one of the dummy rounds was fired, and the primer pushed the bullet into the barrel, where it remained stuck unnoticed.
Brandon’s family, who run a Twitter account in his memory, tweeted this on Friday morning
Later, the gunpower in a blank cartridge, which creates the sound and muzzle flash of gunfire for film but has no bullet, propelled the squib load out of the gun’s barrel, striking Lee.
And in 1984, actor Jon-Erik Hexum died after shooting himself in the head with a prop gun blank while pretending to play Russian roulette with a .44 Magnum on the set of the television series Cover Up.
In that case, the paper wadding used to secure the gunpowder in the blank cartridge was expelled with enough force to shatter his skull near the temple, sending fragments into Hexum’s brain and causing massive hemorrhaging.
‘They then make sure that the actor stands on a mark and never points the gun at the crew or cast… the editing makes it seem like they were pointing at their co-actor.
‘That’s why everyone in the industry is very confused.
‘How this happened is a total mystery at the moment.’
Tristan added that he has worked with Baldwin before, on the set of 1998 film Thick as Thieves, calling him ‘very safe’ and a ‘total professional’.
‘I was surprised to hear it was him,’ he added.
Director James Cullen Bressack said afterwards he would never use blanks on his film sets again.
‘I will never use anything but airsoft and rubber guns on my movies ever again. This should never have happened. Halyna, you were a gem.
‘This is so f****d up,’ he said.
Actress Frances Fischer, who is part of the Rust crew, also confirmed that blanks were being used for the stunt.
Baldwin was taken for questioning by sheriff’s deputies after the fatal shooting, but was not arrested and has not been charged.
The sheriff’s department says its investigation is ongoing.
He was pictured outside the sheriff’s office doubled over with grief, and weeping while speaking on the phone. He refused to speak with a reporter from the New Mexican who was at the scene.
Wife Hilaria had uploaded a video showing her playing with two of the couple’s six children at 4am on Wednesday. The couple live in New York.
Filming of the movie – about a boy who is wrongly accused of murder, and which Baldwin is co-producing – has been indefinitely suspended while cast and crew recover. Counseling services are being offered, producers said.
Hutchins was Ukrainian-born and grew up in the USSR before studying journalism and working on ‘British documentary productions in Europe’, according to her personal website.
She subsequently moved to Los Angeles where she changed career to become a cinematographer, studying a two-year fine arts Masters at the AFI Conservatory between 2013 and 2015.
Social media posts suggest she gave birth to a son around the same time – who appears to have been born either late 2012 or early 2013.
The boy appears to be her only child with husband Matthew Hutchins, a Los Angeles-based lawyer who worked as an associated with firm Kirkland & Ellis until 2017. It is unclear what his current job is.
Baldwin is a co-producer on the film, in which he plays infamous outlaw Harland Rust, whose 13-year-old grandson is convicted of an accidental murder.
It was not immediately clear whether the prop gun that killed Hutchins was somehow loaded with real bullets, or if the gunpowder used in theatrical blank cartridges may have launched debris of some kind from the barrel. No further information has been offered on how Baldwin managed to strike two people, with the sheriff’s office continuing to investigate.
Representatives for Baldwin, Souza, and Rust’s executive producer did not immediately respond to inquiries from DailyMail.com late on Thursday.
Earlier on Thursday, Baldwin’s spokesperson issued a statement to People on the shooting, saying: ‘There was an accident today on the New Mexico set of involving the misfire of a prop gun with blanks.’
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Rust Pictures LLC, which is producing the film, said: ‘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 cooperating with the Santa Fe Police Department’s investigation. We will be providing counseling services to everyone connected to the film as we work to process this awful event’
Hutchins’ devastated friends were too distraught to talk, but Ariel Vida, a production designer who worked with the director of photography on 2020 film Archenemy confirmed her death to DailyMail.com, tearfully adding: ‘I’m sorry, I can’t talk about this right now.’
Baldwin and Hutchins (circled) are pictured together on the set of Rust, in an image that she uploaded to Instagram two days ago saying the crew of the film were supporting a strike by the IATSE union
Hutchins’ social media shows she was married to Matthew (pictured together), a Los Angeles-based lawyer. It is unclear when the pair married, but they have a son who was born either in late 2012 or early 2013
Alec Baldwin is seen on the set of Rust with fake blood earlier Thursday, hours before he shot and killed the film’s cinematographer. He shared this photo on Instagram with the caption ‘Back to in person at the office. Blimey…it’s exhausting.’ Filming was halted following the fatal incident at the Bonanza Creek Ranch movie set in Santa Fe
She later moved first to the U.K. to work on documentary filmmaking before traveling to LA to study for a master’s degree in cinematography and switching to movies
‘Kind and loving’ cinematographer killed in Alec Baldwin tragedy: Ukraine-born married mother Halyna Hutchins, 42, was raised on a Soviet military base surrounded by nuclear submarines, trained as a journalist and was tipped as a rising star in Hollywood
Sun streaming from above, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins smiles into the camera as she films herself riding off into the New Mexico desert on horseback.
This was the last Instagram post shared by the married mother-of-one before she was accidentally killed by actor Alec Baldwin when he fired a prop gun while filming a scene for an upcoming Western on a ranch near Santa Fe.
Born in Ukraine and raised on a Soviet military base ‘surrounded by reindeer and nuclear submarines’, Halyna, 42, had trained as a journalist and spent time in Europe working on British documentaries before making the move to Los Angeles, where she had established her career – and started a family.
Born in Ukraine and raised on a Soviet military base ‘surrounded by reindeer and submarines’, Halyna had recently wrapped on a project in Ireland and was tipped for a bright future in Hollywood when her life was so tragically cut short. Pictured, in 2018
Her social media profiles also paint a clear image of a free-spirited, much-loved friend, many of whom have been paying tribute. Pictured, a touching post by close friend Stephanie
Remembered by friends as a ‘kind’ and ‘loving soul’, Halyna lived in Venice Beach, California, with her husband Matthew, a lawyer, and their son Andros, known affectionately as her ‘little man’ and thought to be around nine years old.
‘Halyna loved him so much and enjoyed watching him grow into the handsome boy he is today,’ one friend wrote in a moving Instagram tribute. ‘I know she is looking after him and Matt in this horribly scary time.’
Social media photos capture a playfulness and sense of adventure, with Halloween costume parties, road trips with friends and days out exploring all lit up by Halyna’s smile.
She was also highly regarded by her peers and had been tipped as a ‘rising star’ by other cinematographers. ‘She was somebody who was absolutely dedicated to art and integrity,’ director, colleague and friend Adam Mortimer told GMB this morning. ‘I can tell already she was going to be a genius.’
Halya (right) on a visit back to Kiev in December 2018. She was raised on a military base in the country and later attended the National University of Kyiv, studying International Journalism
Baldwin, 62, was filming a scene for new film Rust when the gun went off around 1.50pm, fatally wounding Hutchins and leaving writer-director Joel Souza, 48, injured. The incident took place at at Bonanza Creek Ranch.
Hutchins was rushed to the University of New Mexico Hospital in an air ambulance but was pronounced dead a short time after.
Souza was taken by ambulance to the Christus St Vincent Regional Medical Center. He has since been released although his exact condition is unclear.
Remembered by friends as a ‘kind’ and ‘loving soul’, Halyna lived in Venice Beach, California , with her husband Matthew, a lawyer, and their son Andros, pictured in an old Facebook photo
No criminal charges have been filed, but police said that a criminal investigation into the incident is currently active to determine the circumstances of Hutchins’ death.
‘According to investigators, it appears that the scene being filmed involved the use of a prop firearm when it was discharged,’ sheriff’s spokesman Juan Rios said in a statement. ‘Detectives are investigating how and what type of projectile was discharged.’
‘The incident remains an active investigation. As more information becomes available, updates will be provided,’ he added.
Filming for Rust was set to continue through early November, according to a news release from the New Mexico Film Office, but production has now been halted on the film.
The movie is about a 13-year-old boy who is left to fend for himself and his younger brother following the death of their parents in 1880s Kansas, according to a synopsis.
The teen goes on the run with his long-estranged grandfather, played by Baldwin, after the boy is sentenced to hang for the accidental killing of a local rancher.
From 30 Rock to a bitter divorce, a homophobic slur and THAT Trump impression: Career highs and lows of Alec Baldwin
Born in 1958, Alec Baldwin is the oldest and most famous of four actor brothers and cut his teeth on 1980s television shows such as ‘Knot’s Landing,’ before breaking through with lead roles in movies ‘Beetlejuice’ and ‘The Hunt for Red October.’
Baldwin played the lover of Kim Basinger in 1991’s ‘The Marrying Man,’ striking up a chemistry that would lead to their real-life wedding in 1993, and a Steve McQueen remake ‘The Getaway’ the following year.
Around the same time he earned a Tony nomination for his Broadway performance as Stanley Kowalski in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire,’ later resuming the role on screen.
Baldwin as Jack Donaghy in 30 Rock, the show which made his name that he starred in from 2006 until 2013
Other 1990s roles included ‘Prelude to a Kiss’ opposite Meg Ryan, and a powerful cameo as a nasty real estate boss in ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’ opposite Al Pacino and Jack Lemmon.
Baldwin was sued over a violent altercation with a paparazzo in 1995.
Basinger and Baldwin separated in 2000, and he shifted toward smaller, supporting roles in films like ‘Pearl Harbor’ and ‘The Royal Tenenbaums.’
Baldwin made his first — and so far only — directing appearance in ‘Shortcut to Happiness,’ an adaptation of 1930s short story ‘The Devil and Daniel Webster.’ It flopped and never received a wide theatrical release.
But Baldwin’s career was rejuvenated by seven-season run in multiple-Emmy winning NBC comedy ’30 Rock,’ in which he frequently stole the show as the suave, mega-rich and eccentric boss of Tina Fey’s Liz Lemon.
Baldwin is most-recently known for impersonating Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live – a role he hated playing
Starting in 2006, the wildly popular show satirized the corporate-run entertainment industry, earned Baldwin personal Emmys and Golden Globes, and rejuvenated his film career.
He has appeared in films such as ‘It’s Complicated’ with Meryl Streep, Woody Allen’s ‘Blue Jasmine’ and two ‘Mission: Impossible’ movies.
Baldwin, well-known for his outspoken views and support of the Democratic Party, won a third Emmy in 2017 for his popular and biting ‘SNL’ impersonations of Trump.
His uncanny impersonation mocked the former president’s verbal tics and loose hand gestures and exaggerated his boastful style.
Now 63, Baldwin has continued to make headlines for his personal life.
In 2007, he left a notorious message for his then 11-year-old daughter with first wife Basinger, calling her a ‘rude, thoughtless little pig.’
Baldwin was also known for his 1993 marriage to Kim Basinger, and acrimonious divorce in 2002
In late 2013, NBC scrapped his late-night chat show after he allegedly subjected a photographer to a homophobic slur outside his apartment on the day that a Canadian actress convicted of stalking him was jailed.
In 2018, Baldwin was arrested and charged with assault after punching a man in the face during a New York parking dispute. He pleaded guilty to a harassment charge and agreed to attend an anger management program.
He lives near New York with second wife Hilaria. The couple have six children together.
Baldwin stars in the film alongside Travis Fimmel, Jensen Ackles and Frances Fisher.
Earlier on Thursday, Baldwin posted an Instagram photo from the Bonanza Creek Ranch, showing him in full costume, with fake blood on his abdomen. The photo was captioned: ‘Back to in person at the office. Blimey…it’s exhausting.’
His wife Hilaria also shared a screen grab from a FaceTime conversation with Baldwin earlier in the day, where he appears to be riding in a car on his way to the ranch.
The ranch has been used in dozens of films, including the recent Tom Hanks Western News of the World.
After the fatal shooting at the movie ranch, a 2017 tweet of Baldwin’s resurfaced, in which he responded to video of a police shooting in California by writing: ‘I wonder how it must feel to wrongfully kill someone…’
That police shooting was later ruled justified.
Following Thursday’s tragedy, friends took to Hutchins’ Instagram page to leave tributes underneath a video filmed two days ago that showed her riding a horse on her day off.
James Cullen wrote: ‘I will miss you my friend. This is devastating.’
Another friend Jack Caswell added: ‘I feel like I’ve had the wind knocked out of me. You will be so missed’ while Tina Presley Borek said: ‘Heartbroken.’
‘I’m so sad about losing Halyna. And so infuriated that this could happen on a set,’ said Archenemy director Adam Egypt Mortimer on Twitter. ‘She was a brilliant talent who was absolutely committed to art and to film.’
The International Cinematographers Guild also lamented Hutchins’ untimely death 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,’ guild president John Lindley and executive director Rebecca Rhine said.
The tragic shooting death is reminiscent of the 1993 death of Bruce Lee’s son Brandon Lee on the set of The Crow, where a bullet that was lodged in the barrel of a prop gun was propelled out by a blank round, killing him.
‘Our hearts go out to the family of Halyna Hutchins and to Joel Souza and all involved in the incident on Rust,’ tweeted Brandon Lee’s sister Shannon from a tribute account dedicated to her brother. ‘No one should ever be killed by a gun on a film set. Period.’
Hutchins, who lived in Venice Beach, California, was considered one of Hollywood’s rising stars – named in a list of cinematographers to watch in 2019 by American Cinematographer.
The daughter of a soldier, Hutchins grew up on a Soviet military base in the Arctic Circle before going to college in Ukrainian capital Kiev.
She later moved first to the U.K. to work on documentary filmmaking before traveling to LA to study for a master’s degree in cinematography and switching to movies.
Her credits include horror film Darlin and, shortly before starting work on Rust, she had completed filming on Blindfire – a crime drama starring Brian Geraghty and Sharon Leal.
The Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office says it responded to the movie set at around 1.50pm after a 911 caller indicated someone had been shot in the arm.
‘According to investigators, it appears that the scene being filmed involved the use of a prop firearm when it was discharged,’ the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
‘Detectives are investigating how and what type of projectile was discharged,’ the statement added.
Police said that a 42-year-old female, later identified as Hutchins, was airlifted to University of New Mexico Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The director, Souza, was rushed by ambulance to Cristus St. Vincent’s Hospital where he is being treated for injuries, and is expected to survive.
‘There was an accident today on the New Mexico set of Rust involving the misfire of a prop gun with blanks,’ read a statement from Rust Movie Productions LLC.
‘Two crew members have been taken to the hospital and are receiving care. Production has been halted for the time being. The safety of our cast and crew remains our top priority,’ the statement concluded.
Albuquerque’s KOB 4 news anchor Tessa Mentus tweeted a photo from her network’s chopper, showing a church set blocked off.
‘@santafesheriff investigating incident at #Rust movie set on Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe. Pic from #Chopper4 shows an old church set blocked off, and set security confirms its lockdown,’ Mentus tweeted.
Another KOB 4 reporter, Giuli Frendak, shared a photo of a security gate, adding, ‘Security guard at the entrance to the set of Rust’, a western movie in production in #SantaFe, told us the set is on lockdown right now. Couldn’t share anything else. Waiting for more details from Santa Fe Sheriff on today’s incident near Bonanza Creek.’
The fate of Rust is now up in the air following the tragic shooting. Baldwin is a co-producer on the film and plays infamous outlaw named Rust, who goes on the run with his grandson.
Ackles plays a U.S. Marshal, and Fimmel plays a bounty hunter who are on the pair’s tail as Rust tries to break his grandson out of prison.
An unexpected bond forms between the outlaw and his estranged grandson as they go on the run.
CAA Media Finance and Highland Film Group were launching sales on the film at last year’s Cannes virtual film market, with Baldwin producing through his El Dorado Pictures banner alongside Anjul Nigam and executive producer Matthew Helderman.
Baldwin and Nigam produced Souza’s previous feature, 2019’s Crown Vic.
Anna Granucci is also producing with Elizabeth L. Barbatelli as an executive producer.
New Mexico is a busy film location, and the Bonanza Creek Ranch has previously hosted star-studded productions including Hostiles, Cowboys & Aliens, 3:10 to Yuma, Appaloosa and Longmire.
Security guards block Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe after Hutchins was killed in the shooting on set Thursday. In the film, Baldwin plays infamous outlaw Rust, whose 13-year-old grandson is convicted of an accidental murder
The director, Souza, was rushed by ambulance to Cristus St. Vincent’s Hospital (above on Thursday night) where he is being treated for injuries, and is expected to survive
Hutchins, who lived in Venice Beach, California, was considered one of Hollywood’s rising stars – named in a list of cinematographers to watch in 2019 by American Cinematographer
Anjul Nigam, a producer on the movie, uploaded this image to Instagram two weeks ago showing the set of Rust which he captioned saying ‘day one’
It is not the first time that a prop gun has killed someone during the filming of a movie.
In 1993, Brandon Lee, 28, son of the late martial-arts star Bruce Lee, died after being hit by a .44-caliber slug while filming a death scene for the movie The Crow.
The gun was supposed to have fired a blank, but an autopsy turned up a bullet lodged near his spine.
In that case, an investigation determined that a bullet became lodged in the barrel of the gun when the crew failed to properly deactivate the primer in a dummy cartridge, which is supposed to look like a real bullet but be inert.
Later, the gunpower in a blank cartridge, which creates the sound and muzzle flash of gunfire for film, propelled the stuck bullet out of the gun’s barrel, striking Lee.
The sister of Brandon Lee, who died under similar circumstances, tweeted condolences from a tribute account
In 1984, actor Jon-Erik Hexum died after shooting himself in the head with a prop gun blank while pretending to play Russian roulette with a .44 Magnum on the set of the television series Cover Up.
In that case, the paper wadding used to secure the gunpowder in the blank cartridge was expelled with enough force to shatter his skull near the temple, sending fragments into Hexum’s brain and causing massive hemorrhaging.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Officers respond to the scene of a fatal accidental shooting at a Bonanza Creek Ranch movie set near Santa Fe. Authorities say a woman has been killed and a man injured Thursday after they were shot by a prop firearm
The fatal shooting appears to have occurred at the small church building (left) that is part of the sprawling movie ranch
Elijah Wood and director James Gunn lead industry reaction to ‘horrifying’ fatal shooting on set of Alec Baldwin’s new film
Celebrities and industry figures took to social media after learning of the tragic accident that occurred on the set of Alec Baldwin’s forthcoming film Rust on Thursday at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
During the shoot, the actor, 63, accidentally shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded the film’s writer-director Joel Souza after his prop firearm unintentionally discharged.
Elijah Wood tweeted that Hutchins’ death is ‘absolutely horrifying and devastating,’ while director James Gunn admitted that his ‘greatest fear is that someone will be fatally hurt on one of my sets.’
Aside from highlighting the sadness, The League star Paul Scheer called the accident ‘beyond a tragedy and there are so many rules in place to make sure this can’t happen.’ He wrote: ‘I can’t even fathom how this is possible. So many people had to be negligent. This is a crime. Halyna was a tremendous talent. I’m sick to my stomach.’
Reactions: Elijah Wood and director James Gunn were some of the first industry figures to react to the tragic accident that occurred on the set of Alec Baldwin’s forthcoming film Rust on Thursday at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Greatest fear: Director James Gunn revealed in a tweet that his ‘greatest fear is that someone will be fatally hurt on one of my sets’
Horrifying: Elijah Wood said that it was ‘absolutely horrifying and devastating’ to learn that Hutchins had been accidentally shot and killed by the actor’s prop gun
Hurt: Alec’s former co-star Debra Messing jumped to the star’s defense after a social media user hit out at the accident, as she wrote: ‘It is absolutely NOT. A prop gun was handed to him . He used it in the scene. Then- a catastrophic event happened where Halnya Hutchins lost her life and Joel Souza was injured. I am praying for all their families’
Should have never happened: Bill & Ted star Alex Winter, clearly disturbed by the tragedy, tweeted that film crews ‘should never be unsafe on set and when they are there is always a clearly definable reason why’
Beyond: The League star Paul Scheer called the accident ‘beyond a tragedy and there are so many rules in place to make sure this can’t happen’
Alec’s former co-star Debra Messing jumped to the star’s defense after a social media user hit out at the accident, as she wrote: ‘It is absolutely NOT. A prop gun was handed to him . He used it in the scene. Then- a catastrophic event happened where Halnya Hutchins lost her life and Joel Souza was injured. I am praying for all their families.’
The Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office confirmed that it was Baldwin who fired the prop gun, which unexpectedly launched a projectile or projectiles at Rust crew members. Production on the film has been halted and a police investigation has been launched, though no charges have been filed.
In a statement to Deadline, a spokesperson for Rust Movies Productions LLC communicated that ‘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.
The statement read: ‘We have halted production on the film for an undetermined period of time and are fully cooperating with the Santa Fe Police Department’s investigation.’
To help cast and crew cope with the tragedy, the production company ‘will be providing counseling services to everyone connected to the film as we work to process this awful event.’
Wood went on to issue condolences to 42-year-old Hutchins’ mourning relatives, writing in his impassioned tweet: ‘My heart goes out to her family.’
Gunn, who is known for his directorial work on film like The Suicide Squad and Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy, prayed that this tragic of an accident ‘will never happen’ during his career.’ The 55-year-old concluded: ‘My heart goes out to all of those affected by the tragedy today on Rust, especially Halyna Hutchins & her family’.
Bill & Ted star Alex Winter, clearly disturbed by the tragedy, tweeted that film crews ‘should never be unsafe on set and when they are there is always a clearly definable reason why.’
He tagged #IASolidarity on the post, relating the incident back to recent uproar regarding the poor treatment of crew members in the entertainment industry and a demand for better hours, healthcare, and safety protocols on sets.
Scheer included a portrait of Halyna Hutchins taken during the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.
Unimaginable: Filmmaker Mike Flanagan tweeted that his ‘heart breaks for the family and friends of Halyna Hutchins’ and reiterated that ‘this is just horrifying and devastating news’
Nightmare: ‘What an absolute nightmare. We lost a rising star, female cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, tweeted out director Amy J. Berg, who also shared a Deadline article detailing the accidental shooting
Heartbreaking: Actress-director Victoria Mahoney said that her ‘heart aches for Ms. Halyna Hutchins family, and loved ones’ before labeling her death not only ‘terrifying’ but ‘utterly heartbreaking’
Big fan: C. Robert Cargill, who is the mind behind the horror franchise Sinister and a critically acclaimed author, said that he ‘loved Halyna Hutchins’ work so much’ and that her death is ‘not only a tragic loss for cinema but to so many of you I know who worked with her’
Care more: ‘Filmmaking is very dangerous. And we need to care more about that. RIP #HalynaHutchins,’ tweeted Dara Dresnik, after listing her own near-fatal experiences she’s seen while working on various films
Precautions: Alex Press also stressed that fact that ‘safety needs to be taken more seriously’ in the entertainment industry
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