Actor Alec
Baldwin fired a prop gun on the sets of the film ‘Rust’, killing cinematographer
Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza. The incident happened during
the film’s shooting in New Mexico on Thursday, police said.

Such incidents
are rare as the guns used in film-making, regardless of whether they are props
or not, are filled with blank rounds that generate a muzzle flash along with the
gunshot sound to make it seem real, but they do not launch any projectile.
However, there have been incidents where the rounds that were fired were not
blank and have led to deaths.

Also Read | A biopic on Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne love story in works

In a similar
incident, Brandon Lee – son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee – died after being
shot in 1993. Lee was hit by a .44 caliber slug while filming a death scene for
the film ‘The Crow’. While the gun was meant to be filled with blank rounds, autopsy
revealed that a real bullet hit Lee near his spine.

It was
later revealed that the gun was used to fire a round that caused a cartridge to
get lodged in the barrel, according to the Indian Express. When blanks were
shot later, the cartridge was dislodged and released. Lee collapsed after the
bulled hit him and did not get up after director Alex Proyas said cut.

Also Read | Namaste India, says Tom Holland while unveiling Hindi trailer of ‘Uncharted’

The crew members
thought he was joking around, when one of the stuntmen checked on him and found
he was breathing heavily. Lee was rushed to the hospital and died after a
six-hour surgery. He was 28.

His received
praises for his performances as the film became a commercial and critical
success.

His sister
Shannon Lee has shared a tweet, condoling the death of Hutchins through an account
dedicated to Brandon. “Our hearts go out to the family of Halyna Hutchins and
to Joel Souza and all involved in the incident on “Rust”. No one should ever be
killed by a gun on a film set. Period,” Shannon tweeted.

Another incident
took place in 1984, when actor and model Jon-Erik Hexum was playing with a .44 Magnum
prop gun during filming. Bored by the delays during filming, he put the gun to
his temple and pulled the trigger. Hexum thought the rounds inside the gun were
blanks and harmless.

Also Read | Britney Spears’ father gets a new counsel ahead of Conservatorship termination hearing

The shot
did not penetrate his skull, but a fragment of bone was pushed into his brain
and the trauma caused hemorrhage. He was hospitalized but despite surgery, he
was announced brain dead and was take off life support a week later.