The Last Message Halyna Hutchins Left On Instagram Before Her Death
A tragedy occurred on October 21 involving Alec Baldwin and a misfired prop gun, which resulted in the death of an important crew member. While Baldwin was filming his new movie "Rust," he shot the photography director, Halyna Hutchins, and the film director, Joel Souza, with a prop firearm at the Bonanza Creek Ranch, according to the Santa Fe Sheriff's Department, per Reuters.
Souza was taken to Christus St. Vincent Regional medical center by ambulance to help his injuries. According to "Good Morning Britain" (via Mirror), Souza has since been released from the hospital. However, there is no word yet from Souza about the situation. Hutchins was transported to the University of New Mexico Hospital via helicopter, where she succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead by medical personnel.
No one expected such a tragic situation to unfold — especially Hutchins herself, who posted a video to her Instagram of herself smiling on her day off of work just two days before her death.
Halyna Hutchins enjoyed 'the perks of shooting a western'
Halyna Hutchins was really excited to be a cinematographer on the set of "Rust." Hutchins shared her final Instagram post on October 20, and it's a video capturing herself enjoying some of the benefits of filming on a western set. "One of the perks of shooting a western is you get to ride horses on your day off," she wrote. As of this report, the video has been viewed more than 845,000 times and has over 7,000 comments from strangers and friends alike who wrote under the post to send their prayers.
People who knew Hutchins personally are coming together to express their condolences and shock about her sudden passing. Director and cinematographer Elle Schneider penned a devastating Twitter thread about Hutchins. "Sick and devastated to hear that my friend and rockstar cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed on set today in New Mexico. I don't have words to describe this tragedy. I want answers," Schneider said. "I want her family to somehow find peace among this horrific, horrific loss." Adam Egypt Mortimer, director for the movie "Archenemy," a film Hutchins previously worked on, told BBC News that "Halyna was an incredible artist who was just starting a career I think people were really starting to notice. The fact that she would be killed on a set in an accident like this is unfathomable."
As of this writing, no charges have been made in relation to Hutchins' death, and the investigation is still ongoing, per NPR.