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Witnesses questioned after shooting incident on set of Alec Baldwin's movie

Baldwin fired a prop gun that was supposed to have had blanks while filming a scene

NEW YORK, October 23. /TASS/. US law enforcement officers continue questioning witnesses following a shooting incident on the set of Hollywood star Alec Baldwin's movie in the state of New Mexico, Juan Rios, a spokesman for the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office, told TASS.

The shooting incident occurred on the set of movie ‘Rust’ in the southwestern US state of New Mexico on Thursday. Baldwin fired a prop gun that was supposed to have had blanks while filming a scene.

"We are investigating the shooting and interviewing witnesses," Rios told TASS. "No charges have been filed."

Film director Joel Souza, 48, and 42-year-old director of photography Halyna Hutchins sustained gun wounds during the incident. Hutchins was airlifted to a nearby hospital, where she later died of the inflicted gun wound. Souza was also hospitalized and discharged several hours later.

The Variety magazine reported on Friday citing IATSE Local that Baldwin’s prop gun was loaded with a ‘live single round’ among the blanks in the gun’s cartridge.

Police are investigating the incident. Production of the movie has been halted.

The US-based daily Los Angeles Times reported late on Friday that hours before Baldwin’s fatal shots "a half-dozen camera crew workers walked off the set to protest working conditions."

"The camera operators and their assistants were frustrated by the conditions surrounding the low-budget film, including complaints about long hours, long commutes and collecting their paychecks," according to the daily.

The Los Angeles Times also reported citing its sources that "Safety protocols standard in the industry, including gun inspections, were not strictly followed on the ‘Rust’ set near Santa Fe," adding "one of the camera operators complained last weekend to a production manager about gun safety on the set.".