Actor Alec Baldwin discharged a prop firearm on the set of "Rust."

*Updated on October 22, 2021, at 10:34 a.m. (MT):

On Thursday, a crew member died after actor Alec Baldwin discharged a prop firearm on a New Mexico movie set. The crew member has since been identified as director of photography Halyna Hutchins, 42. Rust director Joel Souza was injured in the on-set accident.

"According to investigators it appears that the scene being filmed involved the use of a prop firearm when it was discharged," a statement from authorities said.

Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office said the investigation "remains open and active" and no charges have been filed.

"Detectives are investigating how and what type of projectile was discharged," said authorities. The incident happened Thursday, October 21, at approximately 1:50 p.m. local time.

Alec Baldwin spoke out for the first time on Friday following the incident, stating:

"There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother, and deeply admired colleague of ours. I'm fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred and I am in touch with her husband, offering my support to him and his family. My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna."

Rust is a western film set in the 1880s that stars Baldwin, Travis Fimmel, and Jensen Ackles.

Born in Ukraine, Hutchins lived in Los Angeles and was a graduate of the American Film Institute (2015). She was credited in the production of 49 film, TV, and video titles during her career, according to IMDb. Her most recent work included Archenemy, which stars Joe Manganiello. Hutchins was named a rising star by American Cinematographer magazine in 2019.

On Wednesday, Hutchins had written her final social media post, which showed a video of her riding on horseback in New Mexico:

This isn't the first accident in which someone was killed on a movie set with a prop gun. In 1993, while filming The Crow, actor Brandon Lee was killed when struck by a bullet from a gun that was supposed to have just blanks, but actually had a bullet in the barrel. In 1984, actor John-Eric Hexum was playing with a prop gun on the set of Cover Up: Golden Opportunity and died after he put the gun up to his head and pulled the trigger.

The family of Brandon Lee has released a statement in wake of the incident on Thursday.

“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,” wrote the tweet posted to Brandon Bruce Lee’s verified account, run by the late actor’s sister, Shannon Lee.

But even blanks can pose a dangerous threat.

"They all contain a charge, a powder that creates the noise and the explosive, the visual blast, and usually it's some kind of wire or something that explodes out of the weapon when it's fired," said Daniel Oates, former police chief of Miami Beach and Aurora, Colorado. "These weapons can be very, very dangerous."

*This is an ongoing investigation and this story will be updated accordingly. Refresh for updates!