Souza released a statement after being injured by a gunshot on the set where cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed after a prop gun was fired by actor and producer Alec Baldwin.
“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,” Souza said in a statement to NBC News.
“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,” he added.
The director was standing behind Hutchins when he was shot in the shoulder by a prop gun that was fired by Baldwin. Souza was reportedly transported to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical center in an ambulance and released from the hospital on Friday.
Hutchins was taken to the University of New Mexico hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
Souza was directing a Western-style film that he wrote, based on a story he co-wrote with Baldwin, who is a producer on the project.
Baldwin said in a statement issued Friday that he was "fully cooperating with the police investigation” into the incident.
“There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours,” Baldwin stated.
Court documents released Friday suggest that neither Baldwin nor the first assistant director were aware the gun contained a live round.
Detectives are investigating “how and what type of projectile was discharged,” according to the sheriff’s office.