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Husband of cinematographer fatally shot on Alec Baldwin movie set speaks out: "Halyna inspired us all"

Alec Baldwin shoots crew member with prop gun
Alec Baldwin fatally shoots crew member with prop gun 02:52

The husband of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins is speaking out after his wife was fatally shot by actor Alec Baldwin on the "Rust" film set in New Mexico. Hutchins was killed and director Joel Souza was wounded after Baldwin fired a prop gun that he was told was safe, court documents show.

"Halyna inspired us all with her passion and vision, and her legacy is too meaningful to encapsulate in words," Matt Hutchins tweeted on Saturday, along with a photo of Halyna and their son. "Our loss is enormous." 

Court records show that the prop gun used in the fatal shooting was handed to Baldwin by an assistant director. The director, documents show, grabbed the gun off of a cart and assured Baldwin it was safe to use and didn't have live ammo. 

"Cold gun," he had yelled before the fatal shooting. 

Matt Hutchins told CBS News that Baldwin has been in touch and is being very supportive of the family. On Friday, Baldwin tweeted that the shooting was a "tragic accident." 

"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," he said. "I'm fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred... My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna." 

In the wake of her death, the American Film Institute, which Hutchins graduated from in 2015, has created a memorial scholarship fund in Hutchins' honor. 

"As is profoundly true in the art of cinematography, words alone cannot capture the loss of one so dear to the AFI community," the scholarship page says. "At AFI, we pledge to see that Halyna Hutchins will live on in the spirit of all who strive to see their dreams realized in stories well told."

CBS News editor Gustavo Sampaio also worked closely with Hutchins on a short film he directed.

"She was always very kind, she always looked people in the eye, she was a mother," Sampaio said.

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