After an accidental but fatal shooting occurred on the set of a new Western movie called Rust, 63-year-old Alec Baldwin has taken to Twitter to release a statement about the ongoing investigation to his followers. “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,” the actor wrote.
In the upcoming film, Baldwin plays the role of a grandfather whose 13-year-old son is being sentenced to hang after committing an accidental murder. Unfortunately, while firing a prop gun, the 30 Rock star accidentally killed Hutchins, who was the director of photography, as well as injured the director, Joel Souza.
Cast members have confirmed that Souza has since been discharged, but 42-year-old Hutchins passed away after being airlifted to a nearby hospital from the Bonanza Creek Ranch. It remains unclear if she was killed by a blank bullet, a piece of residue left over in the barrel, or something else entirely.
“I’m fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred,” Baldwin’s tweet from this morning continued. “I am in touch with her husband, offering my support to him and his family.” The Cat in the Hat actor then shared that his “heart is broken” for everyone who knew and loved Halyna, especially her husband and their son.
The unfortunate occurrence has flooded many with memories of 28-year-old Brandon Lee, who was tragically killed back in 1993 under similar circumstances while filming The Crow. “No one should ever be killed by a gun on a film set. Period,” Lee’s sister tweeted from his account after hearing the news.
Rust’s production company revealed via a statement that work on the film has been paused for “an undetermined period of time.” RIP Halyna.
See the rest of Alec Baldwin’s statement regarding the on set shooting below.