SANTA FE, N.M. (1010 WINS) — Actor Alec Baldwin expressed “shock and sadness” and said he is cooperating with authorities Friday after a prop gun he fired killed a cinematographer and wounded a director on the set of his new movie in New Mexico on Thursday.
“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,” Baldwin tweeted in a statement just after 11:30 a.m.
“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,” the actor said.
Baldwin's comments came amid a report Friday that the prop gun used on the set of the western "Rust" contained "a live round."
A union for prop masters, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 44, sent an email to its members early Friday about the "accidental weapons discharge," according to IndieWire, which viewed the email.
"A live single round was accidentally fired on set by the principal actor," the email reportedly said.
Deputies responded to the Bonanza Creek Ranch movie set around 2 p.m. Thursday for a 911 call about a shooting, according to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office.
Director of photography Halyna Hutchins, 42, and director Joel Souza, 48, were both shot when a prop firearm was discharged by the 63-year-old Baldwin, the sheriff's office said.
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Hutchins was airlifted to University of New Mexico Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Souza was rushed by ambulance to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, where he was treated for his injuries.
“Rust” actress Frances Fisher said on Twitter Friday morning that Souza had since been released from the hospital.
"This investigation remains open and active," the sheriff's office said. "No charges have been filed in regard to this incident. Witnesses continue to be interviewed by detectives."
The sheriff's office told Deadline that Baldwin "was questioned by investigators and released."
A spokesperson for Baldwin said there was an accident on the set involving the misfire of a prop gun with blanks, the Associated Press reported.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reported Baldwin was seen Thursday outside the sheriff’s office in tears, but attempts to get comment from him were unsuccessful.
Production on the film has been halted.
The movie is about a 13-year-old boy who is left to fend for himself and his younger brother following the death of their parents in 1880s Kansas, according to the Internet Movie Database website. The teen goes on the run with his long-estranged grandfather, played by Baldwin, after the boy is sentenced to hang for the accidental killing of a local rancher.
Hutchins, a 2015 graduate of the American Film Institute, worked as director of photography on the 2020 action film “Archenemy,” starring Joe Manganiello. She was named a “rising star” by American Cinematographer in 2019.
“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.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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