The family of a filmmaker killed by the accidental firing of a revolver on the set of the western Rust filed a complaint against actor Alec Baldwin on Tuesday, claiming “substantial” damages, his lawyers announced. , on October 21 on a ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Alec Baldwin handled a revolver while working on a scene with cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. She was presented with the weapon as harmless as it was supposed to contain only dummy bullets, but the shot went off, fatally wounding the 42-year-old filmmaker. Brian Panish, who represents the husband and son of Halyna Hutchins , in particular questioned, during a press conference on Tuesday, the “dangerous behavior” of Alec Baldwin. He also accused the cost-saving measures decided by the actor and the other producers of the low-budget western of having led to the death of Halyna Hutchins. The lawyer cited a list identifying, according to him, “at least 15 criteria prevailing in the movie industry that were ignored by production on the set of Rust.M. 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. He finally deplored the fact that the team was not provided 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 Halyna Hutchins’ death occurred. Asked about the amount of compensation the family would seek, Brian Panish replied: “We think it will be substantial.” This complaint is in addition to many other civil proceedings already initiated in recent months by members of the film crew. In November, the lighting chief Serge Svetnoy had filed a complaint for “negligence” against the actor, and the shooting armourer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. The latter herself filed a complaint last month against the man who had provided the ammunition used on the set, accusing him of having left live ammunition among the dummy cartridges. A criminal investigation is still ongoing at the same time. The police are looking in particular to find out how live ammunition could have been found on the set, which is in theory strictly prohibited. No arrests have taken place to date in this case, but criminal proceedings are not excluded in the event that responsibilities would be established, had underlined, shortly after the tragedy, the services of the prosecutor of Santa Fe. Hutchins, assuring that she had asked him to point his revolver at her, supposed to be completely inert.
