Hollywood is dismayed by the death of chief cinematographer Halyna Hutchins after a gunshot while shooting a film. The injured director and the husband of the deceased speak up.
Santa Fe – Two days after the fatal shot from a prop gun while shooting a film in New Mexico, USA, many details are still unclear.
By Saturday night (local time), the police had not released any details about the death of chief cameraman Halyna Hutchins or explained how a fatal shot was released from the gun accidentally fired by actor Alec Baldwin.
The police in Santa Fe had already informed the German press agency on Friday evening (local time) about the circumstances surrounding Halyna Hutchins’ death and the projectile. The investigators had searched the filming location of the western “Rust”.
The assistant director who handed over the prop weapon to Baldwin believed after his testimony that the weapon contained no ammunition, the television station CNN and its local partner station KOAT quoted in a police report. But when the actor fired the gun on Thursday, the tragedy broke out. According to the report, the 42-year-old head camerawoman Hutchins was hit in the chest and suffered fatal injuries, the director Joel Souza (48) standing behind her was hit in the shoulder and taken to the hospital.
Souza comments on the death of his colleague
Souza responded to the death of the film’s chief camerawoman for the first time in a statement on Saturday. “I am deeply saddened by the death of my friend and colleague Halyna,” Souza told the film website “Deadline” and other US media. “She was friendly, lively, incredibly talented, fought for every detail and always encouraged me to give more.”
It was also unclear what type of ammunition or what malfunction of the prop the fatal shot was. “We still have no details about the cartridge that was in the weapon,” the police spokesman told the dpa on Friday.
According to the “Los Angeles Times”, the IATSE union wrote in an email that the weapon was equipped with a single cartridge, a “single live round”. This term is a common term in the industry that can describe both a sharp and a blank cartridge. Usually a prop master or a licensed armorer is responsible for the weapons used on the set, according to the sheet. Live ammunition is prohibited on the set. According to the police, no criminal charges have been made so far. The shooting was stopped for the time being.
Hutchins’ husband thanks for their sympathy
“There are no words to express the shock and sadness of the tragic accident that ended Halyna Hutchins’ life,” Baldwin wrote on Twitter on Friday. “I am fully cooperating with the police investigation to find out how this tragedy came about,” the Hollywood and TV star had added. “And I am in contact with her husband to offer him and his family my support.”
Hutchins’ husband Matt thanked the family on Twitter for the public sympathy. He asked for donations for a camerawoman scholarship program launched by the American Film Institute AFI on behalf of the deceased.
Halyna inspired us all with her passion and vision, and her legacy is too meaningful to encapsulate in words. Our loss is enormous, and we ask that the media please respect my family’s privacy as we process our grief. We thank everyone for sharing images and stories of her life. pic.twitter.com/LgEp4XVkja
— Matt Hutchins (@mhutchins) October 23, 2021
According to another report in the “Los Angeles Times”, employees on the set complained about the lack of security measures. The newspaper reported, citing unnamed sources, that several employees of the camera crew had left the location a few hours before the fatal incident in protest of the working conditions. The security protocols customary in Hollywood were not strictly followed and accidental shots had already been fired, it said. The shooting of the low-budget western, on which Baldwin also worked as a producer, had begun at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in early October. dpa
