A member of the film ‘Rust’ crew sues Alec Baldwin and others involved in the production after the fatal shooting

(CNN) – Serge Svetnoy, a member of the “Rust” film crew, filed a lawsuit against several key figures, including Alec Baldwin, at the center of the fatal shooting on set that claimed the life of the film’s director of photography.

Svetnoy’s lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles against several companies and individuals involved in the film, including producers and two members of the crew. He accuses Baldwin, Assistant Principal David Halls, Gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez Reed and others of negligence that caused him “severe emotional distress.”

The lawsuit comes after Baldwin fired a gun containing a live bullet during a trial last month, killing director of photography Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin had said he believed the gun had no actual rounds, according to court documents.

Hutchins, 42, was airlifted to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Souza, 48, suffered a gunshot wound to the shoulder and is recovering.

What the lawsuit says

Svetnoy, who served as chief lighting technician on set, was hit by “discharge materials” from the fatal shot, noting that the bullet narrowly missed him, according to the lawsuit. He blames the film’s producers, among other things, for not hiring a competent and experienced gunsmith.

“Simply put, there was no reason to put a real bullet in that Colt .45 revolver or have it be present anywhere on the Rust set, and the presence of a bullet in a revolver posed a lethal threat to all who looked at it. were in their vicinity, “the lawsuit claims, alleging a failure to” implement and maintain industry standards for the custody and control of firearms used on set. “

The lawsuit accuses the film’s producers of breaching their obligations by allowing live ammunition to be stored on set.

“Plaintiff is informed and believes, and on such information and belief alleges that the ammunition used on the ‘Rust’ set was never safely stored and was simply left unattended in the support truck,” the lawsuit states.

CNN has reached out to representatives for Baldwin, Halls and Gutierrez Reed, as well as the film production company “Rust,” but received no immediate response.

Gutierrez Reed’s attorney, Jason Bowles, issued a statement Wednesday, questioning how the live rounds ended up in the “replica” box and who put them there.

“We are convinced this was sabotage and Hannah is being framed,” Bowles said. “We believe that the scene was also altered before the police arrived.”

Producers of ‘Rust’ respond

Previously, Rust Movie Productions LLC said: “The safety of our cast and crew is the top priority of Rust Productions and everyone associated with the company. Although we were not informed of any official complaints regarding the safety of weapons or accessories in the set, will conduct an internal review of our procedures while production is stopped. “

According to the lawsuit, Svetnoy and Hutchins were considered “close friends,” having worked together on nine films since 2017.

Svetnoy has previously spoken of her trauma from the incident, posting on Facebook that “I was holding her in my arms while she was dying” and “her hands were stained with blood.” He also shared on Facebook what he called the last photo of Hutchins in the movie set in New Mexico.

CNN’s Jenn Selva contributed to this report.