1 dead, 1 injured in prop gun shooting on Alec Baldwin movie set

A prop gun malfunction on the set of a movie in Santa Fe, New Mexico in the US led to 1 death and 1 person in emergency care after being shot on set. The film “Rust”, a Western movie produced and starring Alec Baldwin and directed by Joel Souza was the site of the tragedy where what should have been a prop gun filled with blanks somehow managed to fire and hit 2 people. Sources say the accident occurred as a scene was being rehearsed or filmed with Alec Baldwin firing a prop gun.

Police responded to a 911 emergency phone call saying someone had been shot and arrived on the set around 2 pm. 42 year old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was airlifted to the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque where she later died. And director Souza, 42, was also shot in the incident and was receiving emergency care at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe.

A spokesperson for Alec Baldwin released a statement saying only that there was an accident on set involving the misfire of a prop gun with blanks. Local media reported that Baldwin was seen outside the Sheriff’s office visibly shaken and in tears. The production company, Rust Movie Productions LLC, released this statement:

“The entire cast and crew has been absolutely devastated by today’s tragedy, and we send our deepest condolences to Halyna’s family and loved ones. We have halted production on the film for an undetermined period of time and are fully cooperating with the Santa Fe Police Department’s investigation. We will be providing counselling services to everyone connected to the film as we work to process this awful event.”

Investigators looking into the incident now trying to identify exactly what kind of projectile struck and killed the woman and injured the man, and how a prop gun managed to create these injuries. Production for the movie rust is on hiatus until early November, according to the New Mexico film office who issued a press release.

The accident was reminiscent of two past Hollywood incidents where actors were killed on set by a prop gun. In 1984, actor Jon-Erik Hexum died on the set of the TV show “Cover Up” after filming a Russian roulette scene where he shot himself in the head with a prop .44 Magnum that killed him. In 1993, there was a famous case of martial arts superstar Bruce Lee’s son Brandon who was filming a death scene for the movie “The Crow” when a gun that should have fired blanks shot and killed him with a .44 calibre slug found lodged near his spine.

SOURCE: Thai PBS World