Alec Baldwin Accidentally Shoots Ukrainian Cinematographer and Seriously Injures Director

The tragedy happened during filming of a movie whose plot involves Baldwin's character accidentally killing someone in the past.

Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin accidentally killed a cinematographer and wounded a director with a prop rifle during filming on a movie set in New Mexico near Santa Fe, Reuters reports.

We are sharing all the details known at this time.

Details of the tragedy

As a result of a shot from a prop weapon that was supposed to fire blank rounds, Ukrainian citizen Galina Hutchins, the film's cinematographer and director of photography, was killed. Director Joel Souza was also seriously wounded.

The weapon was used as a prop and was supposed to be loaded with blank rounds. However, at the moment of the shot, a bullet or fragments hit two people who were nearby.

Hutchins was taken to the University of New Mexico Hospital by helicopter, where she was pronounced dead. 

Souza was taken to a regional medical center by ambulance. It was not immediately possible to determine the severity of his injuries, but a report later emerged that the director was in critical condition.

The sheriff’s office said no charges have been filed, the shooting is under investigation, and witnesses are being questioned. “The investigation remains open and active,” — said a statement from the sheriff’s office.

A source in the sheriff’s office said that Baldwin was questioned by investigators and then released.

A representative for Baldwin said it was an “accident” involving “the ignition of a rifle loaded with blank rounds.”

Baldwin served as co-producer of the Western “Rust,” set in Kansas in the 1880s. He plays an aging fugitive who, according to the plot, accidentally killed someone in the past. 

Baldwin was charged in 2018 after a parking lot fight in New York. He pleaded guilty to second-degree harassment and agreed to take part in an anger management program.

In 2014, he was summoned to court for disorderly conduct after an argument with police, who prevented him from riding a bicycle down a one-way street in New York. In 2011, he was removed from a plane for refusing to stop playing the game “Words With Friends” before takeoff.

Ukrainian Galina Hutchins

42-year-old cinematographer Galina Hutchins was born in Ukraine in 1979. She graduated from Kyiv National University with a degree in international journalism, after which she worked as an investigative journalist and later worked on documentary films in the United Kingdom.

In 2015, she graduated from the American Film Institute and was named one of the rising stars of American cinema in 2019.

Her last post on Instagram, two days ago, shows her smiling under a wide-brimmed hat while riding a horse. “One of the perks of shooting a Western is being able to go horseback riding on your day off :)” she captioned the video.

April Wright, a writer, director and producer, paid tribute to her memory. “I don’t believe it,” Wright wrote. “So young, bright and talented. Such a wonderful soul. My heart goes out to her son and family.”

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Galina Hutchins holds Ukrainian citizenship. 

Oleg Nikolenko
spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry

The Consulate General of Ukraine in San Francisco is establishing the circumstances and cooperating with American law enforcement in the context of the investigation. Consular officials are also contacting the Ukrainian woman’s relatives to provide the necessary consular and legal assistance.