Actor Alec Baldwin is being sued for wrongful death over the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on a film set last year. Hutchins’ family filed the lawsuit on Tuesday, claiming Baldwin and others are “responsible” for her death.
Also named in the suit are set armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and assistant director David Halls, as well as production companies and producers involved in the movie set on which Hutchins was shot and killed.
Hutchins was shot last year on the New Mexico set of ‘Rust’, a movie starring and produced by Baldwin. During a scene involving a revolver, Baldwin was reportedly handed a “cold” – or empty – gun. The firearm, however, went off and fired a bullet that struck both Hutchins and director Joel Souza. Hutchins passed away from her injuries, while Souza recovered.
During a Los Angeles press conference on Tuesday, lawyers for Hutchins’ family showed a video reiterating claims from crewmembers in the wake of the shooting that the set was unsafe, with improper supervision of its firearms. The press was also shown an animated reenactment of the alleged events on the day of the shooting.
“I think it’s clear what happened,” attorney Brian Panish said. “Alec had the gun in his hand. He shot it. Halyna was killed.”
Panish accused Baldwin of refusing cross-draw weapons training and of the production disregarding “at least 15 industry standards” when it came to safety.
The production is accused in the complaint of “cutting corners,” arguing Hutchins would still be alive if certain “adequate precautions” on firearm safety had been adhered to on the set.
Authorities are still investigating the shooting of Hutchins, with Baldwin recently turning over his cellphone. The actor claimed in a tell-all interview with ABC after the incident that he did not pull the trigger of the gun, nor does he feel guilty.
“Someone is responsible for what happened and I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me,” he said. “I mean, honest to God, if I felt that I was responsible, I might have killed myself if I thought I was responsible, and I don’t say that lightly.”