Alec Baldwin fired prop gun on set, killing cinematographer

By MORGAN LEE and WALTER BERRY

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Actor Alec Baldwin fired a prop weapon connected the acceptable of a Western and killed the cinematographer, officials said. The manager of the movie was wounded, and authorities are investigating what happened.

Halyna Hutchins, cinematographer connected “Rust,” and manager Joel Souza were changeable Thursday successful the godforsaken connected the confederate outskirts of Santa Fe.

A spokesperson for Baldwin said determination was an mishap involving the misfire of a prop weapon with blanks. Santa Fe County Sheriff’s spokesperson Juan Rios said detectives were investigating what benignant of projectile was discharged and how. No contiguous charges were filed.

It was not wide if Baldwin was performing astatine the clip of the shooting oregon however galore rounds were fired and small was known astir the weapon.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reported Baldwin was seen Thursday extracurricular the sheriff’s bureau successful tears, but attempts to get remark from him were unsuccessful. The 63-year-old histrion is known for his roles successful “30 Rock” and “The Hunt for Red October” arsenic good arsenic his content of erstwhile President Donald Trump connected “Saturday Night Live.”

Prop guns occurrence blanks, gunpowder charges that nutrient a flash and a bang but not a hard projectile. But erstwhile the trigger is pulled, the insubstantial oregon integrative wadding is ejected from the tube with capable unit that it tin beryllium lethal astatine adjacent range, arsenic proved to beryllium the lawsuit successful the decease of an histrion successful 1984. In different on-set mishap successful 1993, the histrion Brandon Lee was killed aft a slug was near successful a prop gun.

Gun information protocol connected sets successful the United States has dramatically improved since then, said Steven Hall, a seasoned manager of photography successful Britain. But helium said 1 of the riskiest positions to beryllium successful is operating the camera — noting that idiosyncratic would beryllium successful the enactment of occurrence successful gripping scenes wherever idiosyncratic appears points a weapon astatine the audience.

Hutchins, 42, was airlifted to a hospital, wherever she was pronounced dead. Souza, 48, who was wounded successful the collarbone area, was taken by ambulance to a aesculapian center.

Sheriff’s deputies responded astir 2 p.m. to the movie acceptable astatine the Bonanza Creek Ranch aft 911 calls described a idiosyncratic being changeable there, said Rios, the sheriff’s spokesman. The ranch has been utilized successful dozens of films, including the caller Tom Hanks Western “News of the World.”

“This probe remains unfastened and active,” Rios said successful a statement. “No charges person been filed successful respect to this incident. Witnesses proceed to beryllium interviewed by detectives.”

Hutchins, a 2015 postgraduate of the American Film Institute, worked arsenic manager of photography connected the 2020 enactment movie “Archenemy,” starring Joe Manganiello. She was named a “rising star” by American Cinematographer successful 2019.

“I’m truthful bittersweet astir losing Halyna. And truthful infuriated that this could hap connected a set,” said “Archenemy” manager Adam Egypt Mortimer connected Twitter. “She was a superb endowment who was perfectly committed to creation and to film.”

Manganiello called Hutchins “an unthinkable talent” and “a large person” connected his Instagram account. He said helium was fortunate to person worked with her.

Hutchins had Ukrainian citizenship, according to Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oleh Nikolenko. The country’s consulate successful San Francisco is clarifying what happened and is moving unneurotic with instrumentality enforcement officials.

Baldwin teamed up arsenic a shaper antecedently with Souza connected the 2019 film, “Crown Vic,” which starred Thomas Jane arsenic a seasoned Los Angeles constabulary serviceman connected a manhunt for 2 convulsive slope robbers. Souza’s archetypal credited film, 2010’s “Hanna’s Gold,” was a treasure hunt escapade featuring Luke Perry.

Production was halted connected “Rust.” The movie is astir a 13-year-old lad who is near to fend for himself and his younger member pursuing the decease of their parents successful 1880s’ Kansas, according to the Internet Movie Database website. The teen goes connected the tally with his long-estranged gramps (played by Baldwin) aft the lad is sentenced to bent for the accidental sidesplitting of a section rancher.

In 1993, Lee, lad of martial arts prima Bruce Lee, died aft being deed by a .44-caliber slug portion filming a decease country for the movie “The Crow.” The weapon was expected to person fired a blank, but an autopsy turned up a slug lodged adjacent his spine.

A Twitter relationship tally by Lee’s sister Shannon said: “Our hearts spell retired to the household of Halyna Hutchins and to Joel Souza and each progressive successful the incidental connected ‘Rust.’ No 1 should ever beryllium killed by a weapon connected a movie set. Period.”

In 1984, histrion Jon-Erik Hexum died aft shooting himself successful the caput with a prop weapon blank portion pretending to play Russian roulette with a .44 Magnum connected the acceptable of the tv bid “Cover Up.”

Such shootings person besides happened during humanities reenactments. In 2015, an histrion staging a humanities gunfight successful the Old West municipality of Tombstone, Arizona, was changeable and wounded with a unrecorded circular during a amusement that was expected to usage blanks.

In Hill City, South Dakota, a tourer municipality that recreates an Old West experience, 3 spectators were wounded successful 2011 erstwhile a re-enactor fired existent bullets alternatively of blanks.

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Berry reported from Phoenix. Associated Press movie writer Jake Coyle and writers Yuras Karmanau successful Kyiv, Ukraine, and Jocelyn Noveck successful New York contributed to this report.