Alec Baldwin, who fired the gun that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his low budget movie Rust in Bonanza City, New Mexico on October 21, 2021, has sued several crew members of the film, including the armorer, for recklessness and dereliction of duty.
Page Six reports that Luke Nikas, Baldwin's attorney, wrote in the brief, "This tragedy happened because live bullets were delivered to the set and loaded into the gun."
The suit names Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the chief armorer, Assistant Director Dave Halls, Prop Master Sarah Zachry and Seth Kenney, the gun supplier.
"Gutierrez-Reed failed to check the bullets or the gun carefully, Halls failed to check the gun carefully and yet announced the gun was safe before handing it to Baldwin, and Zachry failed to disclose that Gutierrez-Reed had been acting recklessly off set and was a safety risk to those around her," the suit states.
Seth Kenney was also specifically accused of storing the gun ammunition "haphazardly."
The lawsuit places the blame of the shooting on the four named crew members, citing a failure to maintain safety standards and general negligence on set.
According to TMZ, Baldwin is still under scrutiny by the Santa Fe District Attorney and potentially a figure who could be charged with a crime over the incident. The lawsuit states Baldwin "seeks to clear his name" and hold the crew "accountable for their misconduct."
The lawsuit quotes an FBI analysis of the incident that concluded 24-year-old armorer Gutierrez-Reed and prop master Zachry did not know the details and full scope of how much live ammunition was on set.
After the shooting Baldwin issued a statement, saying "There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours."
In October, Baldwin settled with Hutchins' family, including her husband Matthew Hutchins, in a wrongful death suit. She left behind a young son.
The movie was filming at the Bonanza Creek Ranch, a popular production location south of Santa Fe. Baldwin was also a producer on the film and previously said he doesn't blame himself for the accident.
"I feel that someone is responsible for what happened, and I can't say who that is, but I know it's not me," Baldwin previously said. He further stated that armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed handed him the gun and he thought it was prepared properly.
In a December 2021 interview with George Stephanopolous, Alec Baldwin said he "didn't pull the trigger."
In August, an FBI analysis concluded that Alec Baldwin pulled the trigger.
Director Joel Souza was also shot and injured.
Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies submitted a letter on August 30 to the New Mexico financial board, asking for funding to indict four defendants and that it was recently approved. In the letter Carmack-Altwie wrote, "One of the possible defendants is well known movie actor Alec Baldwin."Join and support independent free thinkers!
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