Director Joel Souza has been released from hospital after being injured in an incident where Alec Baldwin’s prop gun was discharged on the set of Rust.
The 68-year-old Hollywood actor was holding the weapon when it misfired and wounded Mr. Souza as well as killing Halyna Hutchins, director of photography.
Hutchins, 42, was airlifted to the University of New Mexico Hospital, where she was pronounced dead by medical personnel.
Souza, 48, was taken by ambulance to Christus St Vincent Regional Medical Centre.
Production has been halted on the film while a spokesperson for Baldwin said there was an accident on the set involving the misfire of a prop gun with blanks.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reported that 63-year-old Baldwin was seen outside the sheriff’s office in tears on Thursday, but attempts to get a comment from him were unsuccessful.
Deputies responded at about 2pm local time to the movie set at the Bonanza Creek Ranch after 911 calls came in of a person being shot on set, sheriff’s spokesman Juan Rios said.
He said detectives were investigating how and what type of projectile was discharged.
“This investigation remains open and active,” Mr Rios said in a statement.
“No charges have been filed in regard to this incident. Witnesses continue to be interviewed by detectives.”
A similar incident happened in 1993 when Brandon Lee, the son of martial arts superstar Bruce Lee, was killed on the set of the film The Crow.
Now the sister of Lee, who passed away when he was 28, has come out and said that ‘no-one should ever be killed by a gun on a film set’.
A statement on Lee’s official Twitter account, which is run by his sister Shannon, said: “Our hearts go out to the family of Halyna Hutchins and to Joel Souza and all involved in the incident on ‘Rust.’
“No one should ever be killed by a gun on a film set. Period.”