During the course of filming a scene in New Mexico on Thursday, actor Alec Baldwin accidentally shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza with a toy gun.
According to the reports, it happened on the set of “Rust,” an independent film shooting in the popular production area south of Santa Fe known as “Bonanza Creek Ranch.”
woman died at University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque after being flown there by helicopter. According to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, Souza, 48, was transported by EMS to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe for emergency treatment of his injuries.
Hutchins and Souza “were shot when Alec Baldwin, 68, producer and actor, discharged a pretend pistol,” according to the Sheriff’s office. Authorities interrogated Baldwin, who broke down in tears, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican.
According to the agency, no one was arrested and no charges were made as a result of the incident. According to the Sheriff’s office, detectives were questioning witnesses and the event remains under “open and active” investigation.
A request for comment from The Blast was not immediately returned.
The Sheriff’s office and Local 600 of the International Cinematographers Guild both confirmed Hutchins’ death.
President John Lindley and executive director Rebecca Rhine released a statement saying they were devastated to learn that director of photography Halyna Hutchins, who was working on the project ‘Rust’ in New Mexico, had died as a result of injuries she incurred while working on the set. To date, there isn’t much clarity, but we’re doing our best to learn as much as we can and support an exhaustive inquiry into this senseless tragedy.” Sadly, we have lost a member of our Guild family, and we grieve his departure.
According to a tweet from one of the film’s stars, Frances Fisher, Souza has informed her that he has been released from the hospital.
A statement from the film’s production company, Rust Movie Productions LLC, said that the cast and crew are “devastated” and that the company is fully cooperating with the investigation. The statement came on Thursday night.
This morning’s tragedy has devastated the whole cast and crew, and we express our sincere sympathies to Halyna’s family and friends,” the business said in a release. In the meantime, we’ve paused filming and are completely complying with the investigation being conducted by the Santa Fe Police Department. During this difficult time, we will be offering counseling services to anybody associated with the film.
Approximately one hour and fifty minutes after the alleged incident occurred, a 911 call was received by the Sheriff’s office informing them of the situation. As heard on the scanner, “We have a person who was shot accidentally,” was reported by someone. ABC News aired the audio.
A prop gun loaded with blanks accidentally went off on the ‘Rust’ set in New Mexico, according to the production company’s initial statement, which was released on Thursday afternoon.
As for what kind of bullet was used, the Sheriff’s office said it was still too early to say. Even though no word of “accident” was used by the office, investigators were left to make the call.
When asked about the event, Sheriff Juan Rios replied that the agency was calling it a shooting investigation. “Detectives on the case will take care of that particular aspect.”
Sheriff’s deputies did say that “a scene was being filmed” when the shooting took place.
Authorities say they believe a pretend gun was fired during filming and that’s what they’re calling “investigations.” Police are looking into how and what kind of missile was fired, according to the report.
Alumnus Hutchins, who graduated from the American Film Institute in 2015, worked on many shorts before starring in Joe Manganiello’s 2020 film “Archenemy.” In 2019, American Cinematographer recognized her as a “rising star” for her work.
Filmmaker Michael Pessah recalls his friend Hutchins as “a lovely, joyful, creative person” who was “so excited to be breaking through” and making movies. It was clear that she was on the mend.
The president of the Directors Guild of America, Lesli Linka Glatter, sent her condolences on behalf of the organization.
As well as the unfortunate death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, the DGA was deeply grieved to learn of DGA director Joel Souza being seriously injured in an on-set accident in New Mexico today. In the meanwhile, we’ll keep you updated as we learn more and complete our inquiry.” We send our condolences to Halyna’s family, Joel, and everyone else affected by this tragedy.
Jensen Ackles, Brady Noon, and Travis Fimmel also star in the Western, which Souza wrote and directed. An old church set in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was photographed by KOB4’s news helicopter and reported that set security confirmed that it is on lockdown. KOB4’s news helicopter also photographed the incident.
Rust’s grandson, 13, is convicted of an unintentional murder, and Baldwin plays the outlaw’s notorious grandchild. Fimmel portrays a bounty hunter, while Ackles plays a U.S. Marshal who are on the hunt for Rust and his grandson as they attempt to free him from prison. As the criminal and his estranged grandson flee, they develop a surprising affinity.
Last year, at the Cannes virtual film market, CAA Media Finance and Highland Film Group launched sales of the film, with Baldwin producing through his El Dorado Pictures banner alongside Anjul Nigam and executive producer Matthew Helderman. Baldwin also served as executive producer. “Crown Vic,” Souza’s previous film, was produced by Baldwin and Nigam in 2019. Besides Anna Granucci, executive producer Elizabeth L. Barbatelli is also involved in the project.
Several popular films have been filmed in New Mexico, and the Bonanza Creek Ranch has served as the location for a number of them, such as “Hostiles,” “Cowboys & Aliens,” “3:10 to Yuma,” and “Appaloosa.”