The family of the filmmaker killed by the accidental shooting of a revolver on the set of the American film Rust filed a complaint on Tuesday, February 15, against actor Alec Baldwin, who pulled the trigger, his lawyers announced.
On October 21, on the set of the western, on a ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Alec Baldwin handled a revolver while working on a scene with cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. She had been presented with the weapon as harmless, as it was supposed to contain only dummy bullets, but the shot killed the 42-year-old filmmaker.
Brian Panish, who represents the husband and son of Halyna Hutchins, notably questioned, during a press conference, the “dangerous behavior” of Mr. Baldwin. He also accused the cost-saving measures decided by the actor and the other producers of the low-budget western of having resulted in the death of Halyna Hutchins. The lawyer quoted a list identifying according to him “at least fifteen criteria” prevailing in the film industry which were ignored by the production on the set of Rust.
A “substantial” amount of compensation
Mr. Panish believes in particular that a dummy revolver should have been used rather than an operational weapon and that there was no individual qualified to handle firearms at the time of the accident. Finally, he deplored the fact that the team was not equipped with protective equipment, as is the case during the filming of certain scenes requiring the firing of blank cartridges.
The complaint was filed in the state of New Mexico, where the death of Halyna Hutchins occurred. Asked how much compensation the family would seek, Brian Panish said he would “substantial”.
This complaint is in addition to many other civil proceedings already initiated in recent months by members of the film crew. In November, lighting chief Serge Svetnoy filed a complaint for “negligence” against actor, production and shooting armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. The latter herself filed a complaint in January against the man who had provided the ammunition used on the set, accusing him of having left live ammunition among the dummy cartridges.
Baldwin does not feel guilty or “responsible”
A criminal investigation is still ongoing. In particular, the police are looking to find out how live ammunition could have been found on the set, which is, in theory, strictly prohibited.
No arrests have been made to date, but criminal proceedings are not excluded in the event that responsibilities are established, the Santa Fe prosecutor’s office said shortly after the tragedy.
In an interview with ABC, Alec Baldwin said he felt neither guilty nor even ” responsible “ of the death of Halyna Hutchins, ensuring that she had asked him to point his revolver at her, supposed to be completely harmless.