Alec Baldwin shoots prop gun, killing cinematographer on set of 'Rust'

Producer and actor Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on the set of the movie ‘Rust’ in New Mexico, Santa Fe County that killed the cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, while movie director Joel Souza, 48, was injured, said Santa Fe Sheriff’s Department.

Alec Baldwin, Halyna Hutchins, Movie Rust — Alec Baldwin shoots prop gun, killing cinematographer on set of ‘Rust’.

The cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, was transported to the University of New Mexico Hospital via helicopter, where she was pronounced dead. Meanwhile, the movie director, Joel Souza, was taken to the Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe. The director’s condition was not immediately available.

The circumstances of the shooting remain unclear and an investigation is underway by the police. The spokesperson for the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department said that incident took place in the middle of scene that was either being rehearsed of filmed. He said that the sheriff’s office was interviewing people present on the set to determine the two crew members had been shot. “The investigation remains open and active,” the Sheriff’s office said in a statement.

Alec Baldwin was reportedly distraught and in tears as he spoke on the phone outside the sheriff’s office headquarters on Thursday following the shooting incident, said the Santa Fe New Mexican. Alec Baldwin had gone to the sheriff’s office willingly and provided a statement to investigators.

Deputies are still trying to determine whether what happened was an accident while the production of the movie ‘Rust’ has been halted for an “undetermined period,” quoted the film’s production company, Rust Movie Productions LLC. “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 counseling services to everyone connected to the film as we work to process this awful event.”

Alec Baldwin, 63, is a co-producer of ‘Rust’, a movie centered around a 13-year-old boy who goes on the run with his estranged grandfather after the accidental killing of a local rancher.

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