Alec Baldwin killed a woman. It was an accident. It's a tragic on-set blunder that was an eerie throwback to the equally tragic incident involving the late Brandon Lee on the set of "The Crow." Lee was also killed with a faulty prop gun. While filming his new movie "Rust," Baldwin fired a prop gun that killed the cinematographer. The director, Joel Souza, was also injured (via Variety):
Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on a set in New Mexico on Thursday, causing the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.
The incident occurred on the set of “Rust,” an independent feature that was filming at the Bonanza Creek Ranch, a popular production location south of Santa Fe.
Hutchins, 42, was transported by helicopter to University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque, where she died. Souza, 48, was taken by ambulance to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe, where he is undergoing treatment for his injuries, according to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s office.
The Sheriff’s office said in a statement that Hutchins and Souza “were shot when a prop firearm was discharged by Alec Baldwin, 68, producer and actor.” The Santa Fe New Mexican reported that Baldwin was questioned by investigators, and was in tears.
The ironic twist in this whole story is that the film is centered around an accidental death (via NY Post):
“Rust” — a western feature that is also being produced by Baldwin — began filming this month.
Baldwin plays outlaw Harland Rust who helps his estranged 13-year-old grandson run from the law after the teen was sentenced to hanging for the accidental killing of a rancher in Kansas.
The real question is how this could have happened.
The death of Brandon Lee on the set of The Crow is the closest analogy to this. The leading theory is he was killed when a prop bullet was left in a prop gun and then a blank was fired. But, the details of that are still somewhat murky. https://t.co/gzBksTO1su
— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) October 22, 2021
This is the best rundown I've seen of prop gun accidents on sets. Prop guns and blanks can certainly be dangerous if not handled properly, just like regular guns. I haven't found examples of more than one person being hurt in an accident like this before. https://t.co/wimRHR9c4a
— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) October 22, 2021
And some have wondered if "prop gun" is an accurate term to use here because, well – there are questions:
Two people shot, one dead and one critical?
— Marina Medvin ???? (@MarinaMedvin) October 22, 2021
That doesn’t sound accidental, nor like the work of a “prop.”
There’s something off about this story. https://t.co/yVTt1WymXL
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