Fatal accident on set: Alec Baldwin shoots camerawoman

The camerawoman is dead, the director seriously injured, hit with a prop weapon: How the accident happened during the shooting is being investigated. It is not the first such incident on a film set.

That morning, actor Alex Baldwin posted a photo of himself on the set of his new film “Rust” in New Mexico. He wears cowboy boots, jeans and has a long beard. Only a few hours later, the accident must have come. A scene with guns was on the schedule.

According to the police report, 63-year-old Baldwin, who is also the producer of the film, fired several shots with a prop weapon during the filming. He didn’t seem to know that it was loaded with real ammunition. Investigators are currently investigating how and what type of projectile was fired.

Cinematographer dies, director seriously injured

A 42-year-old camerawoman was hit. Rescue workers took her to the New Mexico University Hospital in a helicopter, where she succumbed to her injuries a little later.

The director and writer of the western, 48-year-old Joel Souza, was also hit by one or more projectiles. He is in critical health and is currently undergoing surgery, the sheriff’s office said. The incident is the subject of further investigations, but no charges have been made, the authorities said. The police are currently hearing other witnesses.

The location of “Rust” is a site popular with film crews: The Bonanza Creek Ranch south of the city of Santa Fe. More than 130 films have been shot here.

Similar accidents while filming

It is not the first time that there has been a fatal accident with a gun on the film set: The actor Jon-Erik Hexum was featured on the set of the television series “Cover Up”, German title “Mode, Models und Intrigen” on October 18, 1984. , killed when he accidentally shot himself in the head with a gun loaded with blank cartridges. Although there was no projectile in the cartridge, the pressure was so strong that the injuries to the head were fatal.

In 1993, Brandon Lee, the son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, died after being shot in the head with a gun loaded with blank cartridges on the set of The Crow. Both incidents were counted as accidents.