A lawsuit has be filed against Alec Baldwin over the fatal shooting on the set of his film Rust.
Last month, the actor accidentally misfired a prop gun on the set of his new movie in New Mexico, killing the film’s cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.
The film’s chief lighting technician Serge Svetnoy is now suing Alec, claiming the accidental killing “was caused by the negligent acts and omissions” of him and others.
The lawsuit, submitted to a Los Angeles court, stated: “Simply put, there was no reason for a live bullet to be placed in that .45 Colt revolver or to be present anywhere on the ‘Rust’ set, and the presence of a bullet in a revolver posed a lethal threat to everyone in its vicinity.”
Mr Svetnoy claims he felt the bullet fly by him, and he was hit in the face by gunpowder and “residual materials.”
The suit alleges Alec, assistant director Dave Halls and armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed did not follow film industry practice on the handling of weapons and “allowed a revolver loaded with live ammunition to be pointed at living persons”.
Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed as Alec rehearsed a scene on the 19th-century western in which he fires a gun at the camera.
The 63-year-old was handed the firearm by assistant director Dave Halls, who declared it “cold” – indicating it was safe to use.
He later told investigators he had not fully checked the weapon.
As the film’s armourer, 24-year-old Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was responsible for firearms and ammunition.
In a statement, her lawyers insisted she did not know why there was a live round on the set.
Her attorney Jason Bowles said: “We are asking for a full and complete investigation of all of the facts, including the live rounds themselves, how they ended up in the ‘dummies’ box, and who put them in there.”
“We are convinced that this was sabotage and Hannah is being framed. We believe that the scene was tampered with as well before the police arrived,” he added.
Hannah’s lawyer also said his client had met again with investigators from the Santa Fe County Sheriff, and had “offered to share additional, critical information” with them.
Santa Fe county district attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies rejected the notion of a conspiracy, telling ABC News: “We do not have any proof.”
