Los Angeles, Oct 25 (IANS): Veteran star Alec Baldwin, who accidentally shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film 'Rust', will "take some time to re-centre himself" following the incident, which also left the director Joel Souza injured, says a source.

The source told People magazine: "This was pretty devastating. This is how he handles difficult times. Whenever something bad happens, in the short term, he removes himself from (the) public eye."

The insider confirmed that Baldwin was "hysterical and absolutely inconsolable for hours" following the shooting on the New Mexico set, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

It added: "Everyone knows this was an accident, but he's absolutely devastated."

The source explained that the 'Beetlejuice' actor "can be very hard on himself" during difficult time and that the star is hoping to spend some time with his family.

"(Baldwin) is someone who really deeply cares, so he can be very hard on himself. That's true in general, in situations nowhere near as serious as this. But in this situation, it's a whole other level because of the loss of life involved.

"It's going to take him time to figure all this out. He needs to take a while to himself, to be with his family," the source added.

Alec took to social media following the accident last week and said he was "heartbroken" following the death of Hutchins.

"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.

"I'm fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred and I am in touch with her husband, offering my support to him and his family. My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna," he had tweeted.