A member of the “Rust” film crew filed a lawsuit against American actor Alec Baldwin over the on-set shooting that led to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins last month, lawyers said Wednesday.
The negligence lawsuit also names gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who claimed through her legal representatives that she was being “framed” for Hutchins’ death.
The film’s chief lighting technician, Serge Svetnoy, states in the lawsuit that the incident “was caused by negligent acts and omissions” by the lead actor and producer, Baldwin, and others.
“There was no reason to put a real bullet in that Colt .45 revolver or for it to be anywhere on the set of ‘Rust,’ and the presence of a bullet in a revolver posed a lethal threat to everyone around,” says the lawsuit, filed in a Los Angeles court.
Svetnoy alleges that Baldwin, the film’s deputy director Dave Halls, and Gutiérrez-Reed did not follow the film industry’s practices on handling weapons and “allowed a revolver loaded with live ammunition to target live people.”
Director of Photography Hutchins died while Baldwin rehearsed a scene from the western set in the 19th century in which he fired a gun at the camera.
As the gunsmith in the film, Gutiérrez-Reed, 24, was responsible for the firearms and ammunition. In a statement issued Wednesday, her lawyers insisted again that she did not know why there were live bullets on set.
“We are asking for a full investigation of all the facts, including the live bullets, how they ended up in the blank box and who put them there,” said attorney Jason Bowles.
“We are convinced that this was sabotage (…) We believe that the scene was also tampered with before the police arrived.”
Santa Fe County District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies, in an interview broadcast Wednesday, rejected the idea of a conspiracy. “We have no proof,” he admitted to ABC News.
