LOS ANGELES (AP) — Saying he wants to clear his name, Alec Baldwin is suing those involved Friday in handling and supplying the loaded gun he used when he shot and killed the cameraman Halyna Hutchins during an accident while filming 2021 in New Mexico.
Baldwin filed a cross-complaint in Los Angeles Superior Court alleging negligence against some of the people being sued by a script supervisor, Mamie Mitchell. Among other things, he’s demanding a share of any damages Mitchell might win from people he names as Baldwin and asking them to pay for any damages against him.
Mitchell stood behind Hutchins, who died shortly after being injured while preparing for a scene in the western movie “Rust” on a ranch outside Santa Fe on Oct. 21, 2021.
Mitchell is suing Baldwin, who was a producer on the film, the production company and several others involved for assault and negligence.
Dimitrios Kambouris via Getty Images
In his cross-complaint, Baldwin says that while he was working camera angles with Hutchins during rehearsals for a scene, he pointed the gun in her direction and stepped back and released the hammer of the gun, which discharged.
The shooting fatally wounded Hutchins and director Joel Souza in the shoulder.
The complainant said neither he nor Hutchins knew the gun contained a live bullet.
“This tragedy occurred on a film set, not on a firing range, not on a battlefield, not in a location where there was even the remotest possibility that a firearm could contain live ammunition “, the lawsuit states.
Baldwin claimed he was told the gun was safe and did not pull the trigger. But a recent FBI forensics report found that the gun could not have fired unless the trigger was pulled.
“More than anyone else on the set, Baldwin was unfairly seen as the author of this tragedy. Through these cross-claims, Baldwin seeks to clear his name,” the plaintiff’s suit says.
Baldwin’s cross-complaint alleges he missed opportunities and was fired as a result of the shooting and also “suffered physically and emotionally from the pain caused by these events.”
The New Mexico Medical Examiner’s Office said the shooting was an accident. However, prosecutors are reviewing the shooting to determine whether criminal charges should be filed.
In April, the New Mexico Office of Occupational Safety and Health levied the maximum fine of $137,000 on Rust Movie Productions and shared a scathing tale of safety concerns, including testimony that production managers took little or no action to resolve two rounds of empty ammo per set before shooting. the fatal blow.
The company is contesting the fine.
Baldwin’s lawsuit alleges the negligence of gunsmith Hannah Guttierez-Reed; stage master Sarah Zachry; first assistant director and security coordinator David Halls, who handed Baldwin the gun; Ammunition supplier Seth Kenney and his company, PDQ Arm & Prop, who also supplied prop guns for production.
All have previously denied responsibility for the fatal shooting.
In October, Hutchins’ family announced that they had agreed to settle another lawsuit against the actor and the film’s producers, and the producers said they planned to resume the project in January.
Ms. Gutierrez-Reed’s lawyer, Jason Bowles, said he was looking into Baldwin’s lawsuit. Attorneys for the other defendants did not immediately respond to requests for comment, the New York Times reported.
A phone message left by The Associated Press seeking comment from Bowles was not immediately returned Friday evening.
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