Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died and one other person was injured after a prop firearm was discharged by Alec Baldwin on the New Mexico movie set of Rust on Thursday. The incident did not mark the first movie mishap — a 2016 Associated Press investigation found that at least 43 people died on U.S. TV and film sets since 1990 — nor did it mark the first accidental on-set shooting, as a similar incident nearly 30 years prior left Brandon Lee, the son of famed martial arts star Bruce Lee, dead.
Lee was accidentally shot and killed on the set of The Crow, an adaptation of the comic book of the same name, by another actor who fired a revolver that had been improperly prepared in 1993. The incident took place in March 1993, a month after filming on the movie began, as the cast and crew were filming a scene at Carolco Studios in Wilmington, North Carolina. The scene in question involved Lee’s character, Eric Draven, entering his apartment. During the scene, another actor shot Lee from a distance of 15-20 feet with a Smith & Wesson Model 629 .44 Magnum revolver, according to History.com. Lee was struck in the abdomen, with the bullet lodging in his spine. The actor, 28, was rushed to New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, North Carolina, where he succumbed to his injuries on March 31, 1993.
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An investigation into the incident found that the prop gun, which was supposed to have been loaded with blanks, was actually “loaded with improperly-made dummy rounds.” According to reports, a tip of one of the cartridge’s bullets broke off from the cartridge and lodged in the gun. It was fired along with the blank at Lee during filming. The district attorney decided against bringing charges against Crowvision, the production company making the movie.
Lee’s tragic death has been a focal point in discussions surrounding the Rust tragedy. The incident took place Thursday afternoon at Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe County, New Mexico set of the western film after a prop gun was discharged by Baldwin. The incident left Hutchins, 42, dead, and injured director Joel Souza, who has since been released from the hospital. The incident is under investigation.
Following the accidental shooting, Lee’s family released a statement via his official Twitter account, sharing, “Our hearts go out to the family of Halyna Hutchins and to Joel Souza and all involved in the incident on ‘Rust’. No one should ever be killed by a gun on a film set. Period.”
