Gun Involved in Killing Halyna Hutchins Was Reportedly Used by Crew Off-Set for Fun

On Thursday, famous American actor Alec Baldwin accidentally shot and mortally wounded a camerawoman, Halyna Hutchins, and injured a film director, Joel Souza, during the shooting of "Rust", a new western.

The gun that was used as a prop during the shooting of "Rust" that tragically claimed life of Halyna Hutchins, could have been used by filming crew members offsite for entertainment, according to TMZ.

The gun was loaded with live rounds when it was used for target practice, TMZ reported, noting that it's one way a real bullet could have appeared in the chamber.

Another version being suggested by TMZ is that live ammo and blank rounds were stored in the same place, so there could have been a mix-up.

Alec Baldwin said in a statement on Friday that he was fully cooperating with the investigation into the fatal shooting and has been in contact with Hutchins' husband, offering support to him and his family. He added that he is heartbroken over the camerawoman’s death.

Hutchins was born and raised in Soviet-era Ukraine. She graduated from the International Journalism Department of Kiev University and collaborated with British documentary filmmakers as an investigative journalist before moving to Los Angeles several years ago. Hutchins' works include Darlin' (2019), Arch Enemy (2020) and Blindfire (2020).