Police in the US state said Mr Baldwin discharged the weapon during filming for the 19th Century western Rust. The woman was taken to hospital but died of her injuries. The man, the film’s director, was receiving emergency care.
A spokesperson for Mr Baldwin told AP news agency the incident involved the misfiring of a prop gun with blanks.
The woman has been named as Halyna Hutchins, 42, who was working as director of photography. The man being treated is Joel Souza, 48, the film’s director.
Police are still investigating the incident at Bonanza Creek Ranch, a popular filming location, and no charges have been filed.
The Santa Fe New Mexican, a local newspaper, reported that 68-year-old Mr Baldwin was seen outside the local sheriff’s office in tears on Thursday.
Hollywood weapons expert Larry Zanoff said that “when firearms are used as props in the television and movie industry only blanks — cartridges which do not hold bullets — are allowed on set”.
So it would seem that something must have been either tampered with or not properly maintained.
Oh this is terrible…Poor Alec, he will be devastated! Do you think this spells the end of his career? (I mean, him being able to film anything, from a psychological view, not that he will be charged!)
What’s with Hollywood prop guys? This is the second time they accidently killed someone with a prop. I want to know why they have live ammo anywhere around a movie set.
The gun that actor Alec Baldwin fired on set, killing a woman, was handed to him by an assistant director who told him it was safe, court records show. The unnamed director did not know the prop contained live ammunition and indicated it was unloaded by shouting “cold gun!”, the records say.
Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot in the chest in Thursday’s incident on the set of the film Rust. Director Joel Souza, who was standing behind her, was wounded. The 48-year-old received emergency treatment for a shoulder injury and was later released from hospital.
Further details of the police investigation were released on Friday when a search warrant was filed at a court in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Meanwhile, the BBC has obtained a document showing what crew members were listed as scheduled to be on set that day.
It names a head armourer - the crew member responsible for checking firearms - who is in her twenties and had recently served in that role for only the first time.
This isn’t looking good. According to this article, hours before the accident, crew members walked off the set due to concerns about lack of safety.
I read a post on Reddit (so not reliable info but not necessarily untrue either) that said that Baldwin was against the filming company’s policy to let the union workers walk off.
According to this article, there had been two accidental misfires with a stunt double before this happened despite the reassurance that it was a cold gun.
This is terrible isn’t it…poor man and the victims just awful.
I remember watching an episode of Columbo a gun being loaded with live bullets in a stage play…can’t remember now who done it. This is a case of truth being stranger than fiction.
