Hollywood wakes up in shock after Alec Baldwin kills cinematographer with prop gun
The killing of cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, has sent shockwaves across the world, after Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin accidentally discharged a prop firearm on a New Mexico set.
The incident also wounded director, Joel Souza, and production of the film has been halted for an “undetermined period,” according to Rust Movie Productions LLC.
Baldwin, 63, is the co-producer of “Rust”, a Western movie set in 1880s Kansas, and plays the eponymous character who is an outlaw grandfather of a 13-year-old boy convicted of an accidental killing.
Baldwin was seen distraught as he spoke on the phone outside the sheriff’s office headquarters, the Santa Fe New Mexican reports.
“The investigation remains open and active,” the local Sheriff’s office said in a statement.
The news of the accident has shocked many, and tributes have been paid to Hutchins, who was transported by helicopter to University of New Mexico Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Hutchins’ death has renewed debate about whether certain types of prop guns should be banned. In 1993, a similiar incident occurred when actor Brandon Lee, son of Bruce Lee, died aged 28 after being fatally wounded by a prop gun whilst filming.
A tweet from Lee’s official Twitter account, which is run by his sister Shannon, on Thursday, reads: “Our hearts go out to the family of Halyna Hutchins and to Joel Souza and all involved in the incident on ‘Rust.’ No one should ever be killed by a gun on a film set. Period.”
Actor Elijah Wood and director James Gunn were some of the first industry figures to react to the tragic event, and more tributes are emerging for Hutchins and her family.