The camera crew on the set of "Rust" walked off set to protest safety conditions just before Alec Baldwin discharged a prop firearm that injured the director and killed the cinematographer, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The LA Times reported that a group of six cameramen and their assistants walked out to protest the long hours and low wages they were facing as a part of this production.
After previously being told their hotel rooms in Santa Fe, where the set is located, would have their cost covered by the production, the crew learned they'd actually have to commute 50-miles from Albuquerque to set daily, according to the LA Times.
Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer on set, died after being transported to the University of New Mexico Hospital in critical condition.
The director, Joel Souza, was treated at the Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center. He has since left the hospital, "Rust" cast member Frances Fisher tweeted early Friday.
Camera crew members — who are members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) union — showed up for work Thursday at 6:30 a.m. as expected, according to the Los Angeles Times. As the group packed their gear to leave, non-union crew members arrived to replace them and a production manager ordered the union members to leave, a crew member told the Los Angeles Times.
"Corners were being cut — and they brought in nonunion people so they could continue shooting," the crew member told the Times.
Hutchins had advocated for safer conditions for the camera crew, the person told the Times.
While movie sets sometimes feature real guns, live ammunition has "no place" in entertainment production, experts say. An IATSE local group told its members Friday that a "live round" was used on the "Rust" set.
Rust Movie Productions LLC said in a statement that it was cooperating with authorities.
"The safety of our cast and crew is the top priority of Rust Productions and everyone associated with the company, " the statement said. "Though we were not made aware of any official complaints concerning weapon or prop safety on set, we will be conducting an internal review of our procedures while production is shut down."
