Actor Alec Baldwin “discharged” the prop gun in an on-set accident that killed Rust director of photography Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza, the Santa Fe, New Mexico Sheriff’s Department said late Thursday. Hutchins, 42, died a short time after she was taken to the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque. The incident is now under investigation and no charges have been filed.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived at Bonanza Creek Ranch at about 1:50 p.m. MST after receiving a 911 call about a shooting at Bonanza Creek Ranch, where Rust was being filmed. “The sheriff’s office confirms that two individuals were shot on the set of Rust. Halyna Hutchins, 42, director of photography, and Joel Souza, 48, director, were shot when a prop firearm was discharged by Alec Baldwin, 68, producer, and actor,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement to Deadline. Souza is now being treated at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center.
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“This investigation remains open and active. No charges have been filed in regard to this incident. Witnesses continue to be interviewed by detectives,” the statement read. A representative for the production company confirmed filming was halted, adding that the “safety of our cast and crew remains our top priority.”
Hutchins is a graduate of the American Film Institute. She filmed several shorts and was recently the cinematography on Joe Manganiello’s movie Archenemy. American Cinematographer named her a “rising star” in 2019.
“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,” Cinematographers Guild’s National President, John Lindley, and National Executive Director, Rebecca Rhin, 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.”
Baldwin is a producer on Rust, which Souza also wrote. The actor plays a Western outlaw who tries to stop the execution of his teen son before they go on the run. Jensen Ackles was cast as a U.S. Marshal who tracks Baldwin down. On Thursday, Baldwin shared a photo of himself in full costume at the set.
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US actor Alec Baldwin and his wife Hilaria Baldwin leave the courthouse after the first hearing in his trial for involuntary manslaughter in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on July 10, 2024. Baldwin was accused of violating basic gun safety rules and playing "make believe" with a deadly weapon, as the Hollywood star's trial for involuntary manslaughter over a fatal shooting on the set of Western movie "Rust" began Wednesday. -
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 18: Alec Baldwin is escorted away from a pro-Palestine protest by NYPD officers after clashing with protesters in Midtown Manhattan on December 18, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by John Lamparski/GC Images)
