One person is dead and another is badly wounded after an apparent firearm accident on the set ofRust, an upcoming Western starring Alec Baldwin and Jensen Ackles. On Thursday, it was reported that cops had been dispatched to the set in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where the movie had been filming. New details have emerged about the incident which has revealed that a prop gun used for the movie somehow fired off projectiles, badly injuring two people.
StarAlec Baldwinwas filming an apparent shootout scene for the movie with the prop gun that resulted in the tragedy. Currently, an investigation is underway as to how this happened, but what’s known is that either bullets or shrapnel struck both the director, Joel Souza, as well as the director of photography, Halyna Hutchins. Souza was hit in the clavicle and was seriously wounded while Hutchins was reportedly airlifted to a hospital. Sadly, Hutchins has since been pronounced dead at the age of 42.
“According to investigators it appears that the scene being filmed involved the use of aprop firearmwhen it was discharged,” a law enforcement statement read, per CNN. “Detectives are investigating how and what type of projectile was discharged.”
Local sheriff’s deputies continue to investigate the incident with production onRustobviously postponed indefinitely. What happened is eerily reminiscent ofThe Crowstar Brandon Lee, the son of Bruce Lee, who died at the age of 28 in a similar way. He had also been filming a scene involving a shootout when a prop gun fired an improperly-made dummy round into the actor’s abdomen. The news of what happened on the set ofRusthas many feeling angry and dismayed over how something could still happen today after the tragedy with Brandon Lee.
It was just recently when it was announced thatSupernaturalandThe BoysstarJensen Ackles had joined the cast of Rust. The movie also stars Travis Fimmel, Brady Noon, and Frances Fisher. Alec Baldwin conceived the story with director Joel Souza who also wrote the screenplay.
“One of the perks of shooting a western is you get to ride horses on your day off,” Hutchins posted on Instagram two days prior to her death, including a video of herself on horseback with several other members of the production. Another recent cast photo showed the whole team all together, providing a sneak peek at the movie itself.
Rustfollows “an Infamous Western outlaw Harland Rust (Baldwin) who has had a bounty on his head for as long as he can remember. When his estranged 13-year-old grandson Lucas (Noon) is convicted of an accidental murder and sentenced to hang, Rust travels to Kansas to break him out of prison. Together, the two fugitives must outrun the legendary U.S. Marshal Wood Helm (Ackles) and bounty-hunter Fenton ‘Preacher’ Lang (Fimmel) who are hot on their tail. Deeply buried secrets rise from the ashes and an unexpected familial bond begins to form as the mismatched duo tries to survive the merciless American Frontier.”
Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Halyna Hutchins along with everyone elseaffected by the tragedy. Best wishes also go out to Joel Souza with his recovery. More answers about what happened should be made apparent in the weeks ahead as the police investigation continues. This news comes to us fromCNN.
