'Rust' director Joel Souza releases statement; reveals being gutted by loss of Halyna

The recent prop gunfire accident on the sets of Alec Baldwin's Rust took away cinematographer Halyna Hutchins's life and left director Joel Souza injured. The director, who was immediately hospitalised after the incident, recently made a statement to Deadline. He mourned the death of Halyna and addressed the affection he received after his injury.

Director Joel Souza was hit in the shoulder by the prop weapon, fired by Alec Baldwin. The on-set accident shook the entire entertainment industry. As Souza was discharged from the hospital on Friday, October 22, he is on his path to recovery. In his statement to Deadline, Souza mourned the death of his friend and colleague Halyna and said he is "gutted" by the loss. He further said Halyna Hutchins was incredibly talented, vibrant, kind and a person who always pushed him to be better. Joel Souza then extended his heartfelt condolences to Hutchins' family.

Souza thanks well-wishers for their outpouring love 

In his statement, Joel Souza addressed the love and affection he and the filmmaking community received. The director said he is humbled and grateful for those people in Santa Fe and hundreds of strangers who reached out. He claimed the love and affection would help him in his recovery.

Alec Baldwin's prop gunfire incident

Earlier this week, Hollywood star Alec Baldwin was shooting for his upcoming film Rust in Santa Fe, New Mexico. For one shot, the actor pulled the trigger of a prop gun which fired an actual bullet and ended up killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza. Hutchins was airlifted and taken to the University of New Mexico hospital, where she was declared dead. On the other hand, Souza was taken by ambulance to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center. 

Alec Baldwin also issued a statement post the tragic incident. According to the statement, Baldwin was given one of the three prop guns by an assistant director, who assured the prop gun was a cold gun. On the other hand, the assistant director told the police he did not know there was real ammunition in the fake gun. The Santa Fe Sheriff's Office had issued a search warrant to determine if there is footage of the accident.

Image: AP