Halyna Hutchins Dead at 42: Hollywood Reacts to Cinematographer Killed in Accidental Shooting on Rust Set

Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer on the set of the upcoming Alec Baldwin western film Rust, has died. She was 42.

On Thursday, authorities responded to an incident at the Bonanza Creek Ranch set of Rust around 1:50 p.m. local time following 911 calls indicating "an individual had been shot on set," the Santa Fe Sheriff's Department wrote in a press release obtained by PEOPLE.

Upon further investigation, the sheriff's department learned that Hutchins and director Joel Souza, 48, were "shot when a prop firearm was discharged" by Baldwin, 63.

Hutchins was airlifted to the University of New Mexico Hospital, where she died from her injuries, according to the sheriff's department.

In the days prior to her death, Hutchins shared multiple Instagram posts from set. "One of the perks of shooting a western is you get to ride horses on your day off:)," she captioned a video of her riding a horse from what appeared to be the New Mexico set.

She also posted a photo of the Rust crew with a caption that referenced the possible International Association of Theatrical Stage Employees strike — which was averted after IATSE reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) for a new film and TV contract — tagging Baldwin in the post.

"The entire cast and crew has been absolutely devastated by today's tragedy, and we send our deepest condolences to Halyna's family and loved ones," the film's production company, Rust Movie Productions LLC, said in a statement. "We have halted production on the film for an undetermined period of time and are fully cooperating with the Santa Fe Police Department's investigation. We will be providing counseling services to everyone connected to the film as we work to process this awful event."

Hutchins graduated from the AFI conservatory in 2015, according to her website biography, and was selected as one of American Cinematographer's Rising Stars of 2019 as well as a cinematographer for the 21st Century Fox DP Lab in 2018.

Fred Hayes/Getty Halyna Hutchins

Originally from Ukraine, Hutchins worked as an investigative journalist with British documentary productions in Europe prior to her work in film. She holds a graduate degree in International Journalism from Kyiv National University in Ukraine.

Her cinematography credits include Archenemy (2020), Darlin', (2019) Blindfire, (2020), and The Mad Hatter (2021), among numerous short films.

Following her death, directors, actors and those in the film industry paid tribute to the late cinematographer.

"I woke up to the messages and read the news and I am in shock. I was so lucky to have had @halynahutchins as my DP on Archenemy," wrote actor Joe Manganiello. "She was an absolutely incredible talent and a great person. She had such an eye and a visual style, she was the kind of cinematographer that you wanted to see succeed because you wanted to she what she could pull off next… and she was a fantastic person."

He added, "There was no amount of pressure she couldn't handle. She was a great collaborator and an ally to anyone in front of her camera. Everyone who knew her was rooting for her. I can't believe that this could happen in this day and age… gunfire from a prop gun could kill a crew member? This is a horrible tragedy. My heart goes out to her family and especially to her son. I am so sad today for everyone who knew her and worked with her…"

James Gunn, director of the Guardians of the Galaxy films and The Suicide Squad, paid tribute to Hutchins on Twitter.

"My greatest fear is that someone will be fatally hurt on one of my sets. I pray this will never happen," he wrote. "My heart goes out to all of those affected by the tragedy today on Rust, especially Halyna Hutchins & her family."

Fortress and Survive the Game director James Cullen Bressack left a comment on Hutchins' final Instagram post, writing, "I will miss you my friend…. This is devastating." In a separate post to his Twitter, he wrote that he was "in shock."

In a follow-up tweet, he said, "I will never use anything but airsoft and rubber guns on my movies ever again. This should never have happened. Halyna, you were a gem. This is so f----- up. #HalynaHutchins."

Actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson also paid tribute to Hutchins, commenting on her last Instagram post, "I am so so sorry. Rest easy. My love and strength to your family."