The prop gun which Alec Baldwin fired on the set of ‘Rust’ allegedly contained a “live round”, according to the Prop Masters Union

And according to a spokesperson from the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 44 – which is a union for propmasters – the accident allegedly occurred after a live bullet was mistakenly loaded into the gun.

IATSE sent an email out to its members on Friday (22.10.21) with the information, and said that the propmaster working on ‘Rust’ was not a member of the Local 44 union.

Secretary-Treasurer Anthony Pawluc stated in the email: "A live single round was accidentally fired on set by the principal actor, hitting both the Director of Photography, Local 600 member Halnya Hutchins, and Director Joel Souza.

“Local 44 has confirmed that the Props, Set Decoration, Special Effects and Construction Departments were staffed by New Mexico crew members.

There were no Local 44 members on the call sheet."

The IATSE Local 44 email contradicts an earlier report that the gun Alec was using on set contained blanks.

On Thursday, a spokesperson for the 68-year-old actor had said: "There was an accident today on the New Mexico set of Rust involving the misfire of a prop gun with blanks."

The incident took place at Bonanza Creek ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico on Thursday (21.10.21), and a criminal investigation has been launched by Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff Juan Rios confirmed the identities of the two crew members shot and that it was Alec who discharged the firearm, and while no charges have been made at this time, the investigation is ongoing as they continue to interview witnesses.

A statement read: "The sheriff’s office confirms that two individuals were shot on the set of 'Rust'.

"Halyna Hutchins, 42, director of photography and Joel Souza, 48, director, were shot when a prop firearm was discharged by Alec Baldwin, 68, producer and actor."

No "foul play" is suspected "at this time", however, a criminal investigation is required to establish "exactly what happened".