Cinematographer dead, director injured after prop gun discharged by Alec Baldwin misfires on set

Roy Rochlin/FilmMagic Alec Baldwin

The Rust director of photography was killed and the movie's director was injured Thursday in an incident involving a prop gun fired by actor Alec Baldwin on set.

Halyna Hutchins, 42, the director of photography, and Joel Souza, 48, the movie's director, were shot by a firearm discharged by Baldwin on the Santa Fe, N.M. set of upcoming Western film Rust, according to the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office.

According to Juan Rios of the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Department, authorities responded to the incident at the Bonanza Creek Ranch set around 1:50 p.m. local time following 911 calls indicating "an individual had been shot on set."

Mat Hayward/Getty Images; Jim Spellman/Getty Images 'Rust' director of photography Halyna Hutchins was killed and director Joel Souza was injured in an on-set accident.

Hutchins died at the University of New Mexico Hospital after being airlifted from the set. Souza is receiving emergency care at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center.

"There was an accident today on the New Mexico set of Rust involving the misfire of a prop gun with blanks," a spokesperson for the production said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. "Production has been halted for the time being. The safety of our cast and crew remains our top priority."

Authorities are investigating what type of projectile was discharged from the prop gun and how the incident occurred. No charges have been filed related to the incident, and police are continuing to interview witnesses.

Rust, which is written and directed by Souza, also stars Jensen Ackles, Travis Fimmel, and Frances Fisher. It follows a 13-year-old boy who is left to fend for himself and his younger brother after the death of their parents in 1880s Kansas, and then goes on the run with his long-estranged outlaw grandfather (played by Baldwin) after he's sentenced to hang for the accidental killing of a local rancher.

Representatives for Baldwin, who is also a producer on the film, and Souza did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment.