How in the world could this happen on a movie set?
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Actor Alec Baldwin
fired a prop gun Thursday that killed one crew member and injured another on the set of the movie “Rust” in New Mexico, Santa Fe County sheriff's office said.
The film's director of photography, Halyna Hutchins, 42, was killed, and director Joel Souza, 48, was injured when Baldwin, 63, discharged the stage firearm, the sheriff's office said in a statement Thursday evening. Souza was taken to the hospital by ambulance, officials said.
"There was an accident today on the New Mexico set of 'Rust involving the misfire of a prop gun with blanks," a spokesperson for Baldwin said in a statement. "Production has been halted for the time being. The safety of our cast and crew remains our top priority."
Exactly how the incident unfolded Thursday was not clear. Hollywood weapons expert Larry Zanoff said that when firearms are used as props in the television and movie industry only blanks — cartridges that do not hold bullets — are allowed on set.
Even so, there is a minimum safety distance of 20 feet in front of the muzzle because even with a blank, smoke and burning embers can get propelled out of the gun, he said.
“There should be nothing in front of it when filming is occurring with firearms,” Zanoff said.
The weapons should also be inspected before and after each scene, and there should be a safety briefing as part of the protocol, he added.