LAST UPDATE | 22 Oct 2021

ALEC BALDWIN HAS said he is “fully cooperating” with police after a prop firearm discharged by the veteran actor killed his director of photography and injured the director on a New Mexico film set.

Sheriff’s officials in Santa Fe, New Mexico, said Halyna Hutchins, director of photography for the movie Rust, and director Joel Souza were shot last night.

Hutchins, 42, was airlifted to University of New Mexico Hospital, where she was pronounced dead by medical personnel, authorities said.

Souza, 48, was taken by ambulance to Christus St Vincent Regional Medical Centre, where he is undergoing treatment for his injuries. Production has been halted on the film.

In a statement on Twitter this evening, Baldwin said: “There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours.

I’m fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred and I am in touch with her husband, offering my support to him and his family.

“My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna.”

1-
There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours. I'm fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred and

— AlecBaldwin(HABF) (@AlecBaldwin) October 22, 2021

Earlier, a spokesperson for Baldwin said there was an accident on the set involving the misfire of a prop gun with blanks.

“Mr. Baldwin was interviewed by detectives,” Santa Fe sheriff spokesman Juan Rios told AFP.

He provided statements and answered their questions. He came in voluntarily and he left the building after he finished his interviews. No charges have been filed and no arrests have been made.

The International Cinematographers Guild confirmed that the woman fatally shot was Hutchins, a cinematographer.

“The details are unclear at this moment, but we are working to learn more, and we support a full investigation into this tragic event,” guild president John Lindley and executive director Rebecca Rhine said in a statement.

In a statement to US media, the film’s production company said the cast and crew had 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,” the statement said.

‘Rising star’

Hutchins, 42, was director of photography on the 2020 action film Archenemy, starring Joe Manganiello.

A 2015 graduate of the American Film Institute, she was named a “rising star” by American Cinematographer in 2019.

Originally from Ukraine, she grew up on a Soviet military base in the Arctic Circle, the website said.

The Ukraine foreign ministry said its consulate general in San Francisco was working with US authorities and speaking to Hutchins’ relatives “to provide the necessary consular and legal assistance.”

Tributes to Hutchins poured in on social media.

“I’m so sad about losing Halyna. And so infuriated that this could happen on a set,” said Archenemy director Adam Egypt Mortimer on Twitter.

“She was a brilliant talent who was absolutely committed to art and to film.”

I’m so sad about losing Halyna. And so infuriated that this could happen on a set. She was a brilliant talent who was absolutely committed to art and to film. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/vcdFqHsGA0

— Adam Egypt Mortimer (@adamegypt) October 22, 2021

The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said a 42-year-old woman was airlifted to a hospital, where she died, while a 42-year-old man was getting emergency care at another hospital. 

He was later released from hospital.

Deputies responded about 2pm to the movie set at the Bonanza Creek Ranch after 911 calls came in of a person being shot on set, sheriff’s spokesman Juan Rios said.

He said detectives were investigating how and what type of projectile was discharged.

“This investigation remains open and active,” Mr Rios said in a statement.

“No charges have been filed in regard to this incident. Witnesses continue to be interviewed by detectives.”

Filming for Rust was set to continue into early November, according to a news release from the New Mexico Film Office.

- With reporting by Adam Daly and © – AFP 2021