US law enforcement officers reported on Thursday that famous actor Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun that killed a cinematographer and wounded the director on a film set in New Mexico.

The incident happened on the set of "Rust" in the southwestern US state, where Baldwin is co-producing and starring the 19th-century western movie.

In a statement, the Santa Fe sheriff said that the two victims, Halyna Hutchins and Joel Souza, "were shot when a prop firearm was discharged by Alec Baldwin."

Hutchins, 42, was transported to hospital by helicopter but died of her wounds, while Souza, 48, was taken by ambulance and received treatment.

Juan Rios, Santa Fe sheriff spokesman, told AFP that Baldwin voluntarily came to the police department and was interviewed by detectives with no filed charges against him.

However, the Sheriff’s office did not use the word “accident" to describe the shooting, saying in a statement that this "detail will be addressed by detectives as they work their case.”

The Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper published photos of Baldwin looking devastated in the set's parking lot after the incident. He was also seen in tears after the investigation.

A spokesperson from the production company told The Hollywood Reporter the "accident" involved the misfire of a prop gun with blanks - many things could go wrong with this. 

John Lindley and Rebecca Rhine, from the International Cinematographers Guild, said in a statement reported by Variety that the incident's details are still unclear and that they support "a full investigation into this tragic event."

"This is a terrible loss, and we mourn the passing of a member of our Guild’s family," the statement said.

Baldwin, 68, has been in Hollywood since the 1980s.

In a similar case, Brandon Lee, son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, died during the filming of "The Crow" after being shot by a gun that was supposed to fire blanks, but rather contained a bullet from a previous scene.