Alec Baldwin Suing “Rust” Crew Members To Clear His Name
Alec Baldwin is suing the armorer and multiple crew members from Rust for negligence after they handed him a loaded gun on set, resulting in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. He’s naming 4 crew members specifically— Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, Dave Halls, Sarah Zachry, and Seth Kenney — for failing to maintain safety on set. “This tragedy happened because live bullets were delivered to the set and loaded into the gun,” Baldwin’s lawyer wrote in the countersuit, adding that Baldwin “seeks to clear his name” and hold the defendants “accountable for their misconduct.”
The lawsuit accuses Kenney, who supplied all of the film’s guns, of “haphazardly” storing ammunition. He also cited an FBI report indicating that Zachry and Gutierrez-Reed, the prop specialist and armorer, didn’t keep track of all the live bullets on set. Baldwin was practicing for a scene when the gun, which he thought was “cold,” when it went off and hit cinematographer Hutchins in the chest and director Joel Souza in the clavicle. Hutchins died from her injuries.
Despite the tragedy, the movie is getting released with the blessing of Hutchin’s family, whose husband stepped in to finish the job his wife started. Santa Fe District Attorney’s office hasn’t ruled out criminal charges since wrapping their investigation in October, and Baldwin could be involved.
