Alec Baldwin Prop Gun Murder Case: According to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, Alec Baldwin, a producer and actor, fired a prop gun on the set of the film “Rust” in New Mexico on Thursday, killing one crew member and injuring another.
When Baldwin, 63, discharged the stage firearm, the film’s director of photography, Halyna Hutchins, 42, was killed and director Joel Souza, 48, was injured, the sheriff’s office said in a statement Thursday evening.
Officials said Souza was taken to the hospital by ambulance.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Baldwin said, “There was an accident today on the New Mexico set of ‘Rust involving the misfire of a prop gun with blanks.” “For the time being, production has been halted. Our main concern is the safety of our cast and crew.”
Baldwin’s representative declined to comment further.
Baldwin was seen crying outside the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican, but attempts to reach him for comment were unsuccessful. Baldwin was photographed in a parking lot outside the sheriff’s office. The actor can be seen bending over by the curbside in one photo and talking on the phone in another.
A representative for Hutchins declined to comment. She was flown to the University of New Mexico Hospital by helicopter, where she was pronounced dead, according to the sheriff’s office.
The sheriff’s office stated that no charges have been filed and that the investigation is still ongoing. After a 911 call about a shooting on the set, sheriff’s deputies were dispatched around 1:50 p.m. local time (3:50 p.m. ET), according to the office.
Souza was released from the hospital overnight, according to Frances Fisher, who plays Souza in the film. His spokesman confirmed the information.
Bonanza Creek Ranch has been featured in a number of Western films, including Tom Hanks’ “News of the World.”
The New Mexico Film Office announced on Oct. 6 that “Rust” was filming in Santa Fe and would be in production until early November. A total of 75 New Mexico crew members, 22 principal actors, and 230 “background talent” would be employed in the production.
According to the movie’s logline, the storey revolves around a 13-year-old boy who goes on the run with his estranged grandfather after he is sentenced to hang for the accidental killing of a rancher in the 1880s.
According to her website, Hutchins was born in Ukraine and grew up on a Soviet military base in the Arctic Circle surrounded by reindeer and nuclear submarines. She studied journalism in Ukraine and worked as an investigative journalist with British documentary productions in Europe before graduating from the American Film Institute in Los Angeles.
She describes herself as a “restless dreamer” and a “adrenaline junkie” on her Instagram account. A group shot of the cast and crew on the set of “Rust” in New Mexico was recently posted. “One of the perks of shooting a western is you get to ride horses on your day off,” said another post, which included a video of Hutchins riding a horse.
Hutchins served as director of photography on Joe Manganiello’s upcoming action film “Archenemy.”
“I’m heartbroken over Halyna’s death. “And so enraged that this could happen on set,” tweeted “Archenemy” director Adam Egypt Mortimer. “She was a phenomenal artist who was completely dedicated to film and art.”
“I was fortunate to have met her and worked with her,” he said.
Manganiello also expressed his condolences to Hutchins’ family on social media, “especially to her son.”
“She was a fantastic collaborator and ally to anyone who stood in front of her lens. Everyone who knew her wished her well “Manganiello shared a picture on Instagram. “I can’t believe something like this could happen in today’s world… Could a crew member be killed by prop gun fire? This is a tragic event.”
Oleh Nikolenko, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the ministry had received confirmation of Hutchins’ Ukrainian citizenship. The Ukrainian Consulate General in San Francisco is working with US law enforcement, and consuls also communicate with relatives to provide consular and legal assistance, according to Nikolenko.
Baldwin, an Emmy Award winner, is best known for his role as Jack Donaghy on NBC’s “30 Rock” and his “Saturday Night Live” impersonations of former President Donald Trump. He is a Democratic activist who is also known for his Twitter feud with former President Barack Obama.
Baldwin shared a photo of himself in costume on Instagram on Thursday, along with what appeared to be a fake wound on his stomach. The caption on the post, which has since been removed, read: “Returning to the office in person. It’s exhausting, to say the least.”
According to The Associated Press, Baldwin previously collaborated with Souza as a producer on the 2019 film “Crown Vic,” which starred Thomas Jane as a veteran Los Angeles police officer on the hunt for two violent bank robbers.
It’s unclear how the incident occurred on Thursday.
Only blanks — cartridges that do not contain bullets — are allowed on set when firearms are used as props in the television and movie industries, according to Hollywood weapons expert Larry Zanoff.
Even with a blank, smoke and burning embers can be propelled out of the gun, he said, so a minimum safety distance of 20 feet in front of the muzzle is required.
“When filming with firearms, there should be nothing in front of it,” Zanoff said.
He also suggested that the weapons be inspected before and after each scene, and that a safety briefing be included in the protocol.
“In the industry, we have a set of guidelines that govern the use of blank firearms and ammunition on set,” he explained. “So, first and foremost, was that protocol followed?” says the narrator.
Brandon Lee, the star of “The Crow,” died in a filming accident in 1993 after being shot with a prop gun. Bruce Lee’s son, Bruce Lee Jr., was 28 years old when he died.
According to the bio, Brandon Lee’s verified account, which is run by his sister Shannon Lee, tweeted late Thursday that “our hearts go out” to Hutchins and Souza’s families, as well as everyone else involved in the incident.
“On a film set, no one should ever be killed by a gun,” the account tweeted.
On the set of the “Cover Up” TV series in 1984, actor Jon-Erik Hexum died playing Russian roulette with a stage pistol loaded with blank and empty cartridges, according to UPI at the time.