The gun that actor Alec Baldwin fired, accidentally killing one and injuring another, contained a real bullet, a new report says.
The Local 44 chapter of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, which covers prop masters, sent an email to its members on Friday revealing the gun Baldwin used when accidentally killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza on Thursday contained “a live round.” The production’s propmaster was seemingly not a member of the Local 44, according to Indiewire.
“Local 44 has confirmed that the Props, Set Decoration, Special Effects and Construction Departments were staffed by New Mexico crew members,” the email read. “There were no Local 44 members on the call sheet.”
TEARFUL ALEC BALDWIN ASKED WHY HE WAS HANDED ‘HOT GUN’ AFTER FATAL SHOOTING ON SET: REPORT
Baldwin expressed sorrow over Hutchins’s death, saying his “heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna.”
“There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours,” Baldwin posted on Twitter. “I’m fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred and I am in touch with her husband, offering my support to him and his family.”
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There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours. I’m fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred and— AlecBaldwin(HABF) (@AlecBaldwin) October 22, 2021
2- I am in touch with her husband, offering my support to him and his family. My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna.
— AlecBaldwin(HABF) (@AlecBaldwin) October 22, 2021
The investigation into how the live round made its way into the gun remains open, and investigators questioned Baldwin before releasing him without charges.
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Blanks are often used in Hollywood to imitate real guns, with the blanks containing everything a real bullet has except the projectile. Firing a blank with a prop gun results in a loud bang, a recoil, and what’s known as a muzzle flash, the visible light created by the combustion of the powder, according to BBC.
Hutchins’s death is not the first time someone has been killed by a prop gun. Brandon Lee, the actor son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, was killed in 1993 on the set of The Crow when a prop gun mistakenly holding a loaded dummy bullet was fired at him. In 1984, Jon-Erik Hexum jokingly loaded a revolver with a blank, spun the chamber, put the gun to his temple, and fired, with the force of the blast fracturing his skull, leading to his death days later, according to the outlet.
