Liberal actor Alec Baldwin accidentally shot two people on the set of his new movie, injuring one and killing the other.
Baldwin was filming a scene on the New Mexico set of his upcoming western, “Rust,” when the prop gun he shot while filming a scene misfired and struck two people. Halyna Hutchins, 42, the cinematographer, and Joel Souza, 48, the director, were both injured during the Thursday afternoon incident.
Souza was hit in the clavicle and was taken to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center for treatment, but Hutchins had to be airlifted to University of New Mexico Hospital for her wounds, and later died from her injuries.
“This is a terrible loss, and we mourn the passing of a member of our Guild’s family,” International Cinematographers Guild, Local 600 said about Hutchins’ death. “The details are unclear at this moment, but we are working to learn more, and we support a full investigation into this tragic event.”
It is unclear if the prop gun malfunctioned and hit the pair with shrapnel, or if real bullets were used in place of blanks that were supposed to have been loaded into the gun. The local Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office responded to the set and is looking into whether, or not the shooting was criminal.
“Detectives are investigating how and what type of projectile was discharged,” the Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said. Police are currently interviewing witnesses, but no charges have been filed.
Baldwin, who stars and produces the film about an outlaw who helps his estranged teenage grandson escape the law after he was sentenced to death for accidentally killing a Kansas rancher, has not yet commented on the tragedy.
Earlier in the day, he posted an unfortunately timed photo of himself on set, with a bloody wound on his torso. “Back to in person at the office,” Baldwin wrote on the post. “Blimey…it’s exhausting.”
The actor was visibly distraught when he was photographed outside of the Sheriff’s Office.
Wow this pic of Alec Baldwin by Jim Weber at the @thenewmexican –>
Article here: https://t.co/91BhiR8hsn pic.twitter.com/xr5VEPhlRE
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) October 22, 2021
wpDiscuz
I’m surprised Baldwin hasn’t been charged with involuntary manslaughter. After all, _he_ killed her and he was negligent in not checking the gun first.