American actor Baldwin made a deal with the family of the shot cameraman
American actor Alec Baldwin and the producers of the western Rust have reached a settlement with the family of cameraman Halyna Hutchins, who Baldwin shot and killed last October while filming the movie in New Mexico. With reference to the husband of the deceased cameraman, Reuters reports about it.
The settlement will drop the family’s civil lawsuit against Baldwin and others. Filming of the western will also resume from January, with the original main actors, said v declaration husband of cameraman Matthew Hutchins. “I’m not interested in getting involved in blaming or assigning blame (to the producers or Mr. Baldwin),” added the lawyer, who will executive produce the film under the deal. “We are all convinced that Halyna’s death was a terrible accident,” he said.
The low-budget film was shot on Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico. On October 21 last year, Baldwin fired a weapon containing a live cartridge. However, he was told beforehand that the weapon was not dangerous. Forty-two-year-old cameraman Hutchins lost her life and 48-year-old director Joel Souza suffered shoulder injuries.
Cameraman’s death: Baldwin must have pulled the trigger, FBI report shows
Baldwin and others could face felony death charges over the camera girls, New Mexico prosecutors said in September. Investigators are working on finding out who handled the gun Baldwin shot.
Responding to the proposed settlement of the civil lawsuit, Prosecutor Mary Carmack-Altwies said today that charges under New Mexico law will be filed if evidence warrants. “No one is above the law,” she wrote.
Baldwin has denied responsibility for Hutchins’ death, saying live rounds should not have entered the gun in the first place. “We are grateful to everyone who contributed to the resolution of this tragic and painful situation,” his lawyer, Luke Nikas, said in a statement about the settlement.
A lawsuit filed by the cameraman’s family in February said Baldwin bears a “substantial amount of responsibility” for Hutchins’ death because he should have checked the gun for live ammunition, pointed it at a person and pulled the trigger. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) concluded that Baldwin must have pulled the trigger, or that the weapon used in the shooting – a Colt .45 Long Colt revolver – “could not have fired without triggering”.