Halyna Hutchins, the award-winning cinematographer killed Thursday when actor-producer Alec Baldwin discharged a prop gun on the New Mexico set of the indie Western film “Rust,” was a 43-year-old “rockstar cinematographer” and rising star in the industry.
According to law enforcement statements, Hutchins was shot around 1:50 p.m. local time Thursday and died of her injuries after she was airlifted to University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque. The film’s director, Joel Souza, was also injured and hospitalized in the incident, Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Juan Rios said.
Born in Ukraine, Hutchins earned a degree in international journalism from Kyiv National University before moving to London to work on British documentary films.