Following reports of up-and-coming cinematographer Halyna Hutchins being fatally shot by Alec Baldwin while filming a scene for the movie Rust, the family of Brandon Lee has spoken out about the on-set accident that also left director Joel Souza hospitalized (he has since been released). The incident is currently under investigation.
As fans of the cult classic film The Crow know, Lee was killed in a similar fashion when a prop gun accidentally discharged during a scene. Lee’s sister, Shannon, now runs a Twitter account dedicated to Brandon, and she issued the following statement after learning the news of Hutchins’ death:
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.
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.
— Brandon Bruce Lee (@brandonblee) October 22, 2021
According to recent reports, the gun on the set of Rust was allegedly loaded with a live round leading to the fatal shooting. The incident has dredged up memories of Lee’s death, which sparked a litany of safety protocols for gun use on sets following the freak accident. Via USA Today:
Lee’s mother, Linda Lee Cadwell, went on to file a lawsuit for negligence four months after her son’s death. Cadwell alleged in the lawsuit that, “crew members ran out of dummy bullets and improperly manufactured their own from live ammunition. During a test firing of the dummy ammunition, a bullet tip wound up in the barrel of the handgun.”
Following the Rust shooting, Baldwin has issued a statement expressing his “shock and sadness” over Hutchins’ death. The actor is fully cooperating with investigators to “address how this tragedy occurred.”