Alec Baldwin shooting: Why prop guns can turn deadly

Halyna Hutchins (right) was transported to hospital by helicopter but died of her wounds. Photo: AFP and Halyna Hutchins/Instagram

American actor Alec Baldwin has fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza on the set of Western film Rust after discharging a prop gun, raising questions as to why prop guns can kill.

This is not the first time that on-set shootings have resulted in tragedies. Late actor Brandon Lee - the son of martial arts screen legend Bruce Lee - died at the age of 28 in 1993 while filming The Crow (1994).