The director of photography Halyna Hutchins died this Thursday in an accident on the set of Rust, a western independent filmed in New Mexico and starring Alec Baldwin. The actor, who also produces the film, has been the one who fired a salute weapon that ended the life of the 42-year-old photographer and also wounded the director, Joel Souza, 48, who has been transferred to a hospital in Santa Fe , where he has been treated for his injuries.
The Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office has claimed that Baldwin, 68, was the one who fired the shots with a gun loaded with salvoes. The incident has been confirmed by a spokesman for the actor and producer, who has not released details of the scene that was filmed this Thursday. “According to the investigators, it seems that the filmed scene involved the use of a prop weapon when it was unloaded,” Juan Ríos, from the police office, told the local press. Detectives are still investigating what type of projectile caused the fatal injuries. After being injured, Hutchins was airlifted to a hospital, but passed away before landing at the University of New Mexico downtown in Albuquerque.
“We received the devastating news this afternoon,” confirmed section 600 of the International Syndicate of Cinematographers when confirming the death of Hutchins. “The details are not clear at this time, but we are working to find out more and we support an in-depth investigation of this very tragic event. It is an immense loss, ”said section president John Lindley in a statement. The photographer graduated from the American Film Institute six years ago and was named in 2019 one of the filmmakers to watch in her area.
Filming has been suspended until November. Rust It was filmed at the Bonanza Creek Ranch, a popular filming site south of the city of Santa Fe. After the incident, no one has been arrested or charges have been brought against Baldwin. The local press affirms that the actor was seen crying outside the authorities’ offices, where he went to testify how the events occurred.
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