Prop gun misfired by Alec Baldwin kills crew member on film set in New Mexico

US actor Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun that killed a cinematographer and wounded the director on a film set in New Mexico, US law enforcement officers said Thursday.

The incident happened on the set of Rust in the southwestern US state, where Baldwin is playing the lead in a 19th-century western. No charges have been filed over the incident, which is being investigated.

Halyna Hutchins and Joel Souza “were shot when a prop firearm was discharged by Alec Baldwin,” the sheriff in Santa Fe said in a statement, with Hutchins succumbing to her wounds.

“According to investigators, it appears that the scene being filmed involved the use of a prop firearm when it was discharged.

“Detectives are investigating how and what type of projectile was discharged.”

Trade title Deadline cited a source saying “a principal castmember” had cocked the gun during rehearsals, unaware that it contained live rounds.

It did not specify who the cast member was, and AFP was not able to confirm the report.

“This incident remains an active investigation,” the sheriff said.

The dead woman, who was 42 years old, had been airlifted to the University of New Mexico Hospital.

The second person, a 42-year-old man, was taken by ambulance to a different hospital where he was said to be receiving emergency care.

Film sets usually have stringent rules over the use of prop weapons, but accidents have happened.

Most famously, Brandon Lee, the son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, died during filming of The Crow after being shot by a gun that was supposed to fire blanks.

Baldwin co-produces, and stars as Harland Rust, an outlaw whose grandson is convicted of murder, and who goes on the run with him when the boy is sentenced to hang for the crime.

The 63-year-old posted a photograph earlier Thursday on Instagram showing him apparently on set, dressed in a period costume and with fake blood on his shirt.

“Back to in-person at the office. Blimey… it’s exhausting,” he captioned the picture, which went online several hours before the incident.

Baldwin has been on television and in films since the 1980s.

As well as a number of high profile movie roles, including in The Hunt for Red October and two iterations of the Mission: Impossible franchise, Baldwin has voiced animated characters in hits like The Boss Baby.

He garnered new fans with his long-running portrayal of Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live, a character that irritated the former president, but won Baldwin a Primetime Emmy.

Rust also stars Jensen Ackles (Supernaturals) and Travis Fimmel, best known for playing Ragnar Lothbrok in Vikings.

New Mexico is a favourite location for Hollywood producers.

The Bonanza Creek Ranch where Thursday’s incident took place has hosted productions including Hostiles, Cowboys & Aliens, 3:10 to Yuma, Appaloosa and Longmire.