Fatal accident on the set
“I’m devastated”: Injured director comments on the fatal gunshot accident
Director Joel Souza was injured by Alec Baldwin’s prop gun shot
© imago images / ZUMA Press
In addition to the fatally wounded camera woman, director Joel Souza was also injured in the shooting accident by Alec Baldwin. Now he spoke for the first time about the incident.
It is an accident that cost a life: When a shot from a prop gun was released on Thursday under circumstances that have not yet been fully clarified on the set of the western “Rust”, not only the camera woman Halyna Hutchins was fatally injured. Director Joel Souza, who was apparently behind her, was also injured by the bullet that Alec Baldwin had apparently accidentally shot. After two days, he has now turned to the public for the first time.
“I am devastated by the loss of my friend and colleague, Halyna,” he wrote in a statement to the industry service “Deadline”. “She was generous, full of life, incredibly talented, fought for every success and drove me again and again to be even better,” he tries to put his loss into words. “My thoughts are with her family during these difficult times.”
Wave of compassion
Souza himself was released from the hospital on Friday. The projectile, which has not yet been clearly defined publicly, had apparently hit him after it had penetrated the body of the deceased and injured Souza in the shoulder area. According to the sheriff’s department, he was transported by ambulance to a hospital in nearby Santa Fe and treated there.
“I am humble and incredibly grateful for the wave of compassion that has come from the film community, the people of Santa Fe and the hundreds of strangers who have contacted us,” says Souza, grateful. “It will surely help me on my healing path.”
Script written in collaboration with Alec Baldwin
Souza was not only responsible for filming as a director, he had also written the script from a story developed in collaboration with lead actor and producer Alec Baldwin. According to information from “Deadline”, the shooting of the approximately seven million dollar production was about half finished. It is currently unclear whether the project will be ended after the fatal incident.
Source: Deadline