Prop gun deaths that haunt Hollywood: Jon-Erik Hexum and Brandon Lee

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The fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins has sent shockwaves done the movie industry.

The 42-year-old Ukranian native died Thursday aft being accidentally changeable by Alec Baldwin, 63, with a prop weapon the histrion was utilizing during the filming of their Western movie, “Rust.”

But Hutchins isn’t the archetypal idiosyncratic to beryllium changeable and killed connected set, with 2 anterior prop weapon deaths inactive haunting Hollywood.

Actor Brandon Lee was fatally changeable with a prop weapon connected the acceptable of the 1994 movie “The Crow.” The prima — who was the lad of martial arts icon Bruce Lee — was conscionable 28 years old.

Meanwhile, budding star Jon-Erik Hexum died by a self-inflicted prop gunshot to the caput portion filming the CBS bid “Cover Up” backmost successful 1984. He was 26.

Those tragic deaths of these rising young stars are inactive referenced often successful Tinseltown, peculiarly by prop experts who bid actors connected however to safely grip weapons during production.

Hexum died aft shooting himself connected the acceptable of "Cover Up."

“We spell done the utmost caution and attraction erstwhile putting immoderate sorts of weapons successful the hands of actors,” Kevin Williams, the prop section supervisor astatine the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television told NPR.

In Hollywood terminology, a prop weapon tin notation to a fake weapon oregon an existent weapon that is being utilized arsenic a prop. In the second case, the limb is lone expected to occurrence blank rounds, USA Today reports.

As The Post explained successful an earlier report, unrecorded rounds dwell of a cartridge that incorporate propellant powder, which is ignited erstwhile the weapon is fired, propelling the slug retired of the barrel.

Hexum's decease was ruled accidental, and nary 1 faced transgression charges.

Blank rounds, connected the different hand, incorporate materials specified arsenic cotton, insubstantial oregon wax wadding, alternatively metallic projectiles. However, they tin inactive beryllium deadly if the unit of the wadding is beardown capable oregon the weapon is fired astatine adjacent range.

That was the lawsuit with Hexum’s tragic decease backmost successful 1984.

The prima was mimicking a circular of Russian roulette during down clip connected the acceptable of “Cover Up” erstwhile helium fired a blank circular into the close broadside of his head. The unit of the slug fractured his skull, causing superior encephalon hemoraghing. He died six days later.

The decease was ruled accidental, and nary 1 faced transgression charges. However, his parent subsequently received an out-of-court colony from both 20th Century Fox and the accumulation squad down “Cover Up.”

While Hexum’s decease made planetary news, it inactive wasn’t capable to halt a 2nd prop weapon decease conscionable a decennary later.

Lee was killed portion filming "The Crow" successful North Carolina

Lee was changeable and killed portion filming “The Crow” successful North Carolina erstwhile a prop weapon that was an existent revolver was loaded with improperly made .44-caliber dummy rounds, 1 of which got lodged successful the tube and was discharged by a blank cartridge.

Because of these accidents, Hollywood present adheres to Safety Bulletins — a national papers for standards connected limb and prop safety. However, the papers is not binding law.

Williams told NPR that definite on-set pressures mean adjacent the astir cautious prop supervisor mightiness interruption those standards.

“When you are connected set, dealing with creatives, and they are asking for definite circumstances, sometimes these demands are hard to accidental nary to,” helium stated. “A batch of our manufacture is built connected relationships, truthful sometimes radical person to marque questionable decisions.”

Hollywood adheres to Safety Bulletins - a papers for standards connected limb and prop safety. Cinema armourer Christophe Maratier is seen handling a prop weapon astatine his armory.

Baldwin, who is reportedly reeling from Thursday’s fearfulness incident, which besides near “Rust’s” director, Joel Souza, with injuries.

He reportedly asked wherefore helium was fixed a “hot gun” — meaning a existent limb loaded with firearms.

While much details connected the incidental volition nary uncertainty beryllium made nationalist successful the coming days, Williams says it could marque prop supervision adjacent stricter during Hollywood productions.

“There is simply a batch of radical hurting close now. We request to not look astir laying blame,” helium said. “If determination is simply a mode to marque filming safer successful the future, past that’s the roadworthy we request to take.”

However, prop weapon deaths are not the lone fatalities that person occurred connected Tinseltown movie sets.

The Associated Press reports that, betwixt 1990 and 2016, “at slightest 43 radical person died connected sets successful the U.S. and much than 150 person been near with life-altering injuries.”