An incident on a movie set of Alec Baldwin resulted in the death of Halyna Hutchins, the director of photography, and injured the director on the film. NBC New York’s Jennifer Bjorklund reports.
Alec Baldwin said Friday his "heart is broken" after he fired a prop gun and a crew member died on the set of his new movie in New Mexico.
"There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours," Baldwin tweeted Friday morning after the incident on the set of his upcoming movie "Rust."
"I'm fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred and I am in touch with her husband, offering my support to him and his family. My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna."
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Santa Fe County Sheriff’s officials said Halyna Hutchins, cinematographer for the Western being filmed, and director Joel Souza were shot on the set in the desert on the southern outskirts of Sante Fe.
Hutchins, 42, was airlifted to University of New Mexico Hospital, where she was pronounced dead by medical personnel, according to County Sheriff’s officials.
Souza, 48, was taken by ambulance to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center to receive treatment for his injuries and released from the hospital overnight, a spokesperson confirmed to NBC News.
Hutchins' agents at Innovative Artists issued a statement Friday on her death, saying they hoped the tragedy would lead to better safety measures for crews on sets.
“Halyna Hutchins was a ray of light," they said.
Hutchins was director of photography on the 2020 action film “Archenemy,” starring Joe Manganiello. A 2015 graduate of the American Film Institute, she was named a “rising star” by American Cinematographer in 2019.
Production has been halted on the film.
A spokesperson for Baldwin said in a statement that there was an accident involving the misfire of a prop gun with blanks. The representative declined to comment further.
Baldwin was handed a loaded weapon by an assistant director who indicated it was safe to use in the moments before the actor fatally shot a cinematographer, court records released Friday show.
The assistant director did not know the prop gun was loaded with live rounds, according to a search warrant filed in a Santa Fe court. Investigators said late Friday night that the assistant director handed Baldwin the prop gun and yelled "cold gun," indicating that the gun did not have live rounds. However, there were bullets loaded inside.
Images obtained by NBC News showed a distraught Baldwin in the parking lot of the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office Thursday after he was questioned about the shooting. The Santa Fe New Mexican reported the 63-year-old actor was in tears outside the sheriff’s office, but attempts to get comment from him were unsuccessful.
NBC News also learned that just hours before the deadly shooting, several crew members walked off the set over safety concerns, including multiple misfires of the prop gun, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Deputies responded about 2 p.m. to the movie set at the Bonanza Creek Ranch after 911 calls came in of a person being shot on set, sheriff’s spokesman Juan Rios said. Rios said detectives were investigating what type of projectile was discharged and how, and it is not yet clear if Hutchins was killed by a blank, live round or another projectile. No immediate charges were filed.
“This investigation remains open and active,” Rios said in a statement. “No charges have been filed in regard to this incident. Witnesses continue to be interviewed by detectives.”
