In tragic news that’s shocked the entertainment industry, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed on the set of Western Rust after a prop gun discharged in accidentally fatal fashion, with director Joel Souza also injured.
Deadline has now offered an update on the situation, revealing that star Alec Baldwin has been questioned by investigators and released following the incident, having been the one holding the supposedly harmless prop weapon. Hutchins died shortly after being transported to a local hospital, while Souza remains under medical care.
Detectives are investigating how the firearm was used and what type of projectile was involved, after earlier reports offered that a cast member had cocked the gun during a rehearsal unaware that it turned out to contain live rounds, and we know now that person’s identity to be Baldwin.
Souza was hit in the shoulder, with Hutchins immediately airlifted to hospital for stomach surgery after a 911 call was made, but the 42 year-old was unable to be saved by medical personnel. It’s an awful situation, and production has unsurprisingly been shut down on Rust for an undetermined amount of time as police continue to try and determine how such a horrible accident could have occurred.
