Woman dies after prop gun discharged by Alec Baldwin misfires on ‘Rust’ film set, says police

Alec Baldwin discharged a prop firearm on the set of a Western he was making in New Mexico on Thursday, killing the film’s director of photography and wounding the movie’s director, the authorities said.

Police in the US state said Mr. Baldwin discharged the weapon during filming for the 19th Century western ‘Rust.’

The woman, Halyna Hutchins, 42, was flown to hospital by helicopter but unfortunately succumbed to her injuries. The man, director Joel Souza, was said to be receiving emergency care.

A spokesperson for Mr Baldwin told AP news agency the incident involved the misfiring of a prop gun with blanks.

Mr Souza, 48, was taken from the scene by ambulance, but details of his injuries have not been disclosed.

Police are still investigating the incident at Bonanza Creek Ranch, a popular filming location.

In a statement to AFP, a Santa Fe sheriff spokesman said Mr. Baldwin had spoken to detectives.

“He came in voluntarily and he left the building after he finished his interviews,” the spokesman said.

According to her personal website, Ms Hutchins was from Ukraine and grew up on a Soviet military base in the Arctic Circle. She studied journalism in Kyiv, and film in Los Angeles, and was named a “rising star” by the American Cinematographer magazine in 2019.

She was the director of photography for the 2020 action film Archenemy, directed by Adam Egypt Mortimer.

No charges have been filed.


AccidentAlec BaldwinGunmovieRustShootingWoman