STAGES OF GRIEF

‘Rust’ Director Out of Hospital and ‘Gutted’ by Cinematographer’s Death

Joel Souza was hit in the shoulder when Alec Baldwin unknowingly fired a prop gun loaded with live rounds.

The director who was shot when Alec Baldwin unknowingly fired a prop gun loaded with live rounds was released from the hospital late Friday. Joel Souza, the director of Rust, said in a statement, “I am gutted by the loss of my friend and colleague, Halyna. She was kind, vibrant, incredibly talented, fought for every inch, and always pushed me to be better.” Halyna Hutchins, the film’s director of photography, died as a result of her gunshot wounds. Souza, a co-writer on the film with Baldwin, was hit in the shoulder. Mishaps had plagued the set before the fatal accident, prompting a number of crew members to walk off the job. Baldwin and the assistant director who handed him the loaded gun did not know it contained live rounds, according to the Santa Fe sheriff’s department.