Status: 02/16/2022 08:12 a.m
Almost four months after the death of camerawoman Halyna Hutchins while shooting a film with Hollywood star Baldwin, the relatives have filed a lawsuit. Baldwin and other contributors are accused of gross negligence.
The family of the camerawoman shot dead while filming Rust has sued actor Alec Baldwin and the film’s producers for wrongful death. Attorneys for Halyna Hutchins’ family announced the lawsuit at a news conference in Los Angeles.
Attorney Brian Pannish said the “reckless behavior and austerity measures” by Baldwin and the film’s producers led to the death of Halyna Hutchins.
Baldwin also produced the film
Baldwin, who is also the film’s producer, had a gun aimed at Hutchins during preparations for filming a scene of the western in New Mexico on October 21, which went off, killing Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza. Baldwin stated that he pointed the gun at her on Hutchins’ orders and that she went off without him pulling the trigger.
A video created by the family’s lawyers shows an animated re-enactment of the shooting. Baldwin refused training in the manner of drawing the gun, the attorneys said in the clip. There was no need for an actual pistol, industry standards called for the use of a rubber gun or similar prop. Baldwin and the other producers did not initially respond to inquiries. The investigators spoke of a “certain indifference” in dealing with weapons on the set. However, it is still too early to decide on an indictment.
Hollywood star denies guilt
In an interview with ABC News in December, Baldwin said he felt incredible sadness but not guilt. “Someone is responsible for what happened and I can’t say who that is, but I’m not,” Baldwin said. Huchtins asked him to point the gun just past the camera in the direction of her armpit before she went off.