Richard Arnold: Family of Halyna Hutchins mourns slain cinematographer as investigation into 'Rust' film set shooting continues

Family, peers and community members of Halyna Hutchins mourned the cinematographer's untimely death after the 42-year-old was killed on the film set of "Rust" from a firearm mishap.
Her husband Matthew Hutchins tweeted Friday that the loss was "enormous."
"Halyna inspired us all with her passion and vision, and her legacy is too meaningful to encapsulate in words," he tweeted. "Our loss is enormous, and we ask that the media please respect my family's privacy as we process our grief. We thank everyone for sharing images and stories of her life."
In addition, her sister offered words of grief in an interview with the Kyiv Post on Friday.
"I cannot comprehend (her passing)," said Svetlana Androsovych, who currently lives in Indonesia. "I loved her very much ... I was very proud of her and she was my role model. We were always close and remained in touch, despite the distance."
"This loss is a great grief for our family, and I see how hard it is for our parents," she added. "Hopefully, time will ease our heartache."
CNN has reached out to Androsovych but not yet heard back.
The comments add to the fond memories of Hutchins, who was killed when actor and producer Alec Baldwin discharged a prop gun on a film set Thursday in New Mexico.
A candlelight vigil for Hutchins brought out hundreds of mourners Saturday evening in the state.
"I would've been lucky to do another movie with a person like that," said Lane Looper, a crew member on the "Rust" film set. "She was a wonderful mom and wife and was just a wonderful soul, and I really hope more people like her exist."
The shooting occurred as the film crew was rehearsing a scene at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in New Mexico. The film's assistant director, David Halls, handed a prop gun to Baldwin and yelled "cold gun," a remark meant to indicate the weapon didn't have live rounds, according to an affidavit for a search warrant for the movie set filed by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office and obtained by CNN affiliate KOAT.
According to the affidavit, Baldwin was handed one of three prop guns that were set up in a cart by an armorer for the movie. Halls did not know there were live rounds in the gun, the affidavit said.
When Baldwin fired the gun, a live round hit Hutchins, 42, in the chest and wounded director Joel Souza, 48, who was nearby, according to the affidavit. Hutchins was pronounced dead at the hospital after being airlifted.
Gun experts question tragedy
The shooting has raised critical questions from gun experts looking into how the tragic incident occurred.
"There's no reason to have had a firearm that was capable of discharging live ammo on the set," Steve Wolf, a firearms safety expert, told CNN on Saturday. "A prop gun is a gun that's been specifically manufactured for shooting blanks, not bullets. In fact, the bullets won't fit into a gun that's been modified properly, only blanks will fit into it.
"And that's a safeguard to ensure that live ammo is not loaded into guns that are used on set. So if you don't use the right type of gun, you're not going to get the safety benefit that's been engineered into it," Wolf said.
Before the shooting, some crew members quit over safety concerns on set -- including gun inspections and Covid-19 protocols not being followed, according to the Los Angeles Times and other media reports.
Three crew members who were on the set last weekend told the Los Angeles Times there were two accidental prop gun discharges before Thursday's fatal shooting. On October 16, Baldwin's stunt double unintentionally fired rounds after he was told the gun was "cold," two of the crew members, who witnessed the discharges, told the newspaper.
The film's production company told Deadline in a statement that it was not notified of official complaints regarding weapon or prop safety on set.
"We will be conducting an internal review of our procedures while production...

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