Sheriff: Baldwin fired prop gun on movie set, killing woman

By MORGAN LEE and WALTER BERRY

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

Halyna Hutchins, cinematographer connected the movie “Rust,” and manager Joel Souza were changeable Thursday connected the rustic movie acceptable successful the godforsaken connected the confederate outskirts of Santa Fe, New Mexico, according to County Sheriff’s officials.

A spokesperson for Baldwin said determination was an mishap connected the acceptable involving the misfire of a prop weapon with blanks, though a complaint without a metallic projectile is improbable to termination astatine a mean distance. Sheriff’s spokesperson Juan Rios said detectives were investigating however and what benignant of projectile was discharged.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reported the 63-year-old Baldwin was seen Thursday extracurricular the sheriff’s bureau successful tears, but attempts to get remark from him were unsuccessful.

Hutchins, 42, was airlifted to the University of New Mexico Hospital, wherever she was pronounced dormant by aesculapian personnel, the sheriff’s section said. Souza, 48, was taken by ambulance to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, wherever helium is undergoing treatment.

“The details are unclear astatine this moment, but we are moving to larn more, and we enactment a afloat probe into this tragic event,” International Cinematographers Guild president John Lindley and enforcement manager Rebecca Rhine said successful a statement.

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 connected set, 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.

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, Brandon Lee, 28, lad of the precocious 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.”

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Berry reported from Phoenix. Associated Press movie writer Jake Coyle contributed to this report.