On Thursday October 21, 2021 Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed and Director Joel Souza was seriously injured when a prop gun accident happened on the set of Rust filming in New Mexico. Hutchins death was confirmed by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s department and the International Cinematographers Guild, Local 600.
A recently released affidavit on the accident revealed Hutchins was shot when Alec Baldwin was rehearsing a scene that involved him pointing a revolver in the direction of the camera lens. The cast and crew had been told that the actor was handling a ‘cold gun,’ meaning it had no live rounds. During the rehearsal, the gun fired striking Hutchins and Souza. The film has been shut down during the investigation.
There have been reports of numerous issues on the set involving safety procedures as well as crew work conditions. The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s office is investigating the shooting and other safety issues on the film set.
Right after the shooting, the Cinematographer’s Guild released a statement about the incident: “We received the devastating news this evening, that one of our members, Halyna Hutchins, the Director of Photography on a production called Rust in New Mexico died from injuries sustained on the set,” said John Lindley, the president of the guild, and Rebecca Rhine, the executive director, in a statement. “The details are unclear at this moment, but we are working to learn more, and we support a full investigation into this tragic event. This is a terrible loss, and we mourn the passing of a member of our Guild’s family.”
Here are the details about this incident as they were first reported in Variety.
Here is updated information from the Sheriff’s office as reported in Variety.
Several armorers and prop craftspeople have reacted to the tragedy speaking with Variety.
We will continue to update our PLSN readers with more information on this tragic accident as it becomes available.
