A GoFundMe page set up for the family of Halyna Hutchins has already smashed through its fundraising goal in less than 24 hours.
The cinematographer was tragically killed on the set of Rust last week after actor Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun.
The International Cinematographers Guild (Local 600) set up the GoFundMe page on Saturday to raise funds to support Hutchinson’s family, including her husband and 9-year-old son, through this difficult time.
At the time of writing, it’s raised USD $195,361, which far exceeds its fundraising target of $10,000. It had previously smashed through that goal in its first day, reaching $100,000 in less than 24 hours. That fantastic amount has been raised between just 2.5k donors. Expect the total to continue to grow before the GoFundMe comes to an end.
Baldwin, meanwhile, released his first statement regarding the tragic incident, relaying his shock. The actor fired the gun last Thursday thinking it was “cold” but it was mistakenly loaded. As well as causing the death of Hutchins, it also left director Joel Souza with injuries that required hospital treatment. He was reported to be “hysterical” and “inconsolable” after the accident.
“There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, a mother, and deeply admired colleague of ours,” he said on social media.
“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.
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He continued: “My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna.”
The father of Hutchins, however, has refused to pin the blame for his daughter’s death on Baldwin. In an interview with The Sun, Anatoly Androsovych instead blamed the film’s prop department for giving the actor a loaded weapon in the first place.
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