A distraught Alec Baldwin repeatedly asked why was he given a “hot gun” after his prop weapon accidentally discharged on his New Mexico film set Thursday, killing a cinematographer and injuring the director, witnesses have claimed.
The tragic accident unfolded while Baldwin was filming his upcoming western film “Rust” at Bonanza Creek Ranch in Sante Fe.
Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, died and director, Joel Souza, 48, was injured after they were both struck when the gun discharged, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said.
Immediately after the incident, an eyewitness told Hollywood gossip site Showbiz 411 that Baldwin started asking how he could have been given a “hot gun” – meaning a firearm loaded with real ammunition.
“In all my years, I’ve never been handed a hot gun,” the actor allegedly kept saying.
The witness said Baldwin was in shock after the ordeal and he “had no idea how badly they were hurt or Halyna was dead.”
The film set was sent into lockdown and production was halted immediately after the accidental double shooting, which unfolded at about 2 p.m.
Hutchins was airlifted to the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque where she died from her injuries.
The director is currently being treated at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe, authorities said.
“Detectives are investigating how and what type of projectile was discharged,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
No charges were filed as of late Thursday and detectives are still interviewing witnesses.
Baldwin was among those questioned by authorities, and he was pictured in tears as he spoke into a cell phone outside of the sheriff’s office on Wednesday.
