Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins dies after prop gun fired by jerk Alec Baldwin fires live round

[buh buh biden]

A trailblazing cinematographer working on the film "Rust" is dead and the
director was hospitalized after an accident on set involving star Alec
Baldwin and a misfiring prop gun, authorities said Thursday.

Baldwin fired the prop gun, striking the film's director, Joel Souza, and
director of photography, Halyna Hutchins, the sheriff's office said in a
statement Thursday night.

Hutchins, 42, was transported via helicopter to University of New Mexico
Hospital, the state's only Level 1 trauma center, "in critical condition,"
according to sheriff's deputies and the hospital. She later succumbed to
her injuries, the sheriff's office said.

Souza, 48, was brought in an ambulance to Christus St. Vincent Regional
Medical Center and was receiving emergency care, authorities said. Actress
Frances Fisher, who was cast in "Rust," tweeted Friday morning that Souza
was out of the hospital.

"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 said in a tweet Friday morning, adding
that he is "fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how
this tragedy occurred."

The Western, starring Baldwin and Jensen Ackles of "Supernatural," began
filming this month at Bonanza Creek Movie Ranch, a film location in Santa
Fe, New Mexico.

Prop gun was supposed to be empty: Search warrant
The prop gun was one of three on hand that an assistant director handed to
Baldwin while proclaiming "cold gun," to let the crew know a gun with no
live rounds was being used, according to a search warrant from Santa Fe
County obtained by ABC News.

Baldwin then fired the gun, shooting Hutchins in the chest, the warrant
stated. Souza, who was standing behind her, sustained a gunshot wound to
the shoulder, investigators said.

The assistant director told investigators he did not know there were any
rounds in the gun he gave to Baldwin, according to the warrant.

Baldwin, who appeared to have bloodstains on his clothing, was brought in
for a statement and his clothing was collected, the warrant stated.

Crew had concerns over safety
The day before the deadly incident, a large number of people in the camera
department resigned over reasons including an apparent lack of safety
protocols, a member of the camera crew who quit the production told ABC
News.

On a day prior to Thursday's fatal shooting, there were two accidental
discharges within 10 minutes, according to the former crew member.

The issue of gun safety had been brought up by the camera crew and
allegedly brushed off repeatedly by producers, said the person, who had
already left the set before the fatal shooting occurred.

The crew also had concerns about an apparent lack of COVID-19 safety on
set, the person said.

"You can only threaten to leave so much and if they don’t change anything,
you just have to leave," the former crew member said.

The camera crew walkout was previously reported by the Los Angeles Times
and Deadline.

In a statement to the publications, Rust Movie Productions LLC said it was
not aware of prop safety complaints.

"The safety of our cast and crew is the top priority of Rust Productions
and everyone associated with the company," the production company said in
the statement. "Though we were not made aware of any official complaints
concerning weapon or prop safety on set, we will be conducting an internal
review of our procedures while production is shut down. We will continue
to cooperate with the Santa Fe authorities in their investigation and
offer mental health services to the cast and crew during this tragic
time."

'She was a fantastic person': Hollywood pays tribute to barrier-breaking
Hutchins

https://abcnews.go.com/US/crew-members-hospitalized-prop-gun-misfires-set-
alec/story?id=80715740