For the first time since being rushed to the hospital, Joel Souza, who was injured during the on-set incident that murdered cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, has spoken.

Souza was the director of Alec Baldwin's film Rust, which was shot in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in the United States. Souza was hit in the shoulder by a missile that had passed through Hutchins, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The actor shot the gun, which was not supposed to have any live ammunition, according to Santa Fe authorities.

Souza said in a statement to NBC News: "I am gutted by the loss of my friend and colleague, Halyna. She was kind, vibrant, incredibly talented, fought for every inch and always pushed me to be better.

"My thoughts are with her family at this most difficult time.

"I am humbled and grateful by the outpouring of affection we have received from our filmmaking community, the people of Santa Fe, and the hundreds of strangers who have reached out. It will surely aid in my recovery."

Souza wrote and was directing Rust, a 19th-century western about an outlaw, played by Baldwin, who breaks his grandson out of jail after the teenager is convicted of an accidental killing.