Alec Baldwin Shot and Killed Female Cinematographer, Injured Director on Movie Set
A tragedy occurred on the set of the latest Alec Baldwin movie where the actor reportedly accidentally shot and killed a female cinematographer and injured the director due to a prop gun misfire.
“Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on a set in New Mexico on Thursday, accidentally killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza,” reported Variety.
The tragic incident reportedly occurred on the Bonanza Creek Ranch set in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where Alec Baldwin was shooting his upcoming Western, Rust. Hutchins, who originally remained unidentified, died after being transported via helicopter to the University of New Mexico Hospital.
Filmmaker Halyna Hutchins attends the 2018 Sundance Film Festival Official Kickoff Party Hosted By SundanceTV during the 2018 Sundance Film Festival at SundanceTV HQ on January 19, 2018 in Park City, Utah. (Sonia Recchia/Getty Images)
Director Joel Souza remains in emergency care after being transported by ambulance to Christus St. Vincent’s hospital.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office confirmed on Thursday that both Hutchins and Souza “were shot when a prop firearm was discharged by Alec Baldwin, 68, producer and actor.”
BREAKING: Alec Baldwin fired prop gun which killed director of photography at New Mexico film set pic.twitter.com/F6Er6h4ZAX
— BNO News (@BNONews) October 22, 2021
Sources told Deadline, which initially reported that the incident occurred when Baldwin reportedly “cocked a gun during a rehearsal, unaware that there were live rounds in it, hitting two people, a man and a woman.” Representatives for Baldwin, a rabid anti-gun demagogue, did not immediately respond to media requests for comment.
Hutchins was reportedly hit in the stomach while Souza was hit in the shoulder. No arrests or charges have been filed as a result of the incident, though the Sheriff’s office confirmed that the investigation remains “open and active.”
Wow this pic of Alec Baldwin by Jim Weber at the @thenewmexican -->
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) October 22, 2021
Article here: https://t.co/91BhiR8hsn pic.twitter.com/xr5VEPhlRE
American Cinematographer referred to Hutchins, a Ukranian native, as a “rising star” in a glowing 2019 profile.
“My transition from journalism began when I was working on British film productions in Eastern Europe, traveling with crews to remote locations and seeing how the cinematographer worked,” she said of her transition into cinematography. “I was fascinated with storytelling based on real characters.”
“Right now, I’m just really interested in finding fruitful collaborations,” she later added. “To me, it’s the collaborative effort between creative minds that elevates each other’s work.”
According to Western Journal
The California Department of Justice lists six basic gun safety rules, starting with what might be called the golden rule of firearm safety: “Treat all guns as if they are loaded.”
Nos. 2 and 3 are “Keep the gun pointed in the safest possible direction” and “Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot.”
At the very least, Baldwin appears not to have followed the first two rules.
If he had been treating the gun as if it were loaded, he would not have pointed it anywhere near other crew members.
In addition, even though Baldwin most likely thought the gun was not loaded, it still would not have been appropriate to point it at innocent bystanders. While blanks are not as dangerous as live rounds, they still have the ability to hurt people, and they should be treated as such.
As far as the third rule, it is unclear whether Baldwin meant to fire the weapon. If he fired purposely thinking there was a blank in the chamber, he was only in violation of the first two rules. If he did not mean to fire the gun at all, he was likely in violation of all three.
The whole Alec Baldwin thing is tragic. It should also be a reminder that part of gun safety is teaching someone not to just assume a gun your handed is loaded, but to visually inspect the chamber yourself as soon as you take control and confirm what - if any - ammo is in it.
— Walt (@AU_GS_Walt) October 22, 2021
It’s a shame Alec Baldwin was so anti NRA! Had he taken their gun safety courses a life could have been saved!
— Frank J McCall (@RealFrankJMcCa1) October 22, 2021
Source: Breitbart and Western Journal