Prop Gun Discharged By Alec Baldwin Reportedly Contained Live Single Round, But Sheriff's Office Hasn't Confirmed
Actor Alec Baldwin was involved in a fatal shooting and injury on the set of his new western film Rust, and now we are starting to learn some more specific details of how that tragedy occurred. According to new reports on the incident, the prop gun that Baldwin fired - which fatally wounded cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza - may have had a "live single round" inside of it. That information is coming from several trades now, citing an email that has been put out by entertainment workers union IATSE Local 44. The union also made it clear that was non-union workers who handled the props department on the film.
In the larger note from IATSE to its members, we get the following:
"A live single round was accidentally fired on set by the principal actor, hitting both the Director of Photography, Local 600 member Halyna Hutchins, and Director Joel Souza.Both were rushed to the hospital. Unfortunately, we lost Sister Hutchins who passed from the wound."
IATSE Secretary-Treasurer Anthony Pawluc added that "Local 44 has confirmed that the Props, Set Decoration, Special Effects and Construction Departments were staffed by New Mexico crew members. There were no Local 44 members on the call sheet. On behalf of Local 44's Officers, Executive Board and Staff, our thoughts and prayers go out to Halyna and her family. We also send good thoughts to Joel and his family for a full recovery."
That union distinguishing itself from the non-union workers is the sort of hand-washing we'll expect to see as the fallout over this shooting continues. After all, this on-set shooting involving Alec Baldwin has sparked Hollywood and moviegoers' collective memories of the 1993 incident where actor Brandon Lee was also killed on a film set (The Crow) when a prop gun similarly discharged a single projectile into the actor's abdomen after it wasn't put through the proper checks. After Lee, the entertainment and/or stunt industry took the matter of prop firearms much more seriously, with strict procedures put in place to keep a similar tragedy from ever occurring again. It goes without saying that nearly thirty years later the industry will once again have to revisit those safety procedures once again.
Alec Baldwin has released the following statement on the accident:
"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 statement. "I'm fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred and I am in touch with her husband, offering my support to him and his family. My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna."
Our thoughts go out to the family, friends, and colleagues of the victims.
