SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – Alec Baldwin is denying any responsibility for the deadly shooting on a Santa Fe movie set. According to recently filed court documents, the actor places blame on almost everyone else on set including the cinematographer who was killed.
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Alec Baldwin’s lawyers filed an arbitration demand Friday, denying responsibility for the death of cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins. “There are regulations and guidelines in place today that should prevent something like this from happening but they need to be enforced and had they been followed this never would have happened,” Brian Panish, the attorney for the Hutchins family said.
Hutchins was shot and killed October 21st while filming the movie “Rust” on a set in Santa Fe. Baldwin alleges that Dave Halls, the assistant director, yelled out “cold gun” while handing Baldwin a pistol and it was the job of armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, to make sure the gun was safe.
Baldwin maintains that throughout his career, he’s trusted other professionals on set to do their jobs and until that October day, he had never been involved in a safety breach on set. He says someone should be held legally culpable for Hutchins’ death but it’s not him, he’s “just an actor”.
Baldwin goes as far as to say it was Hutchins herself who directed him on which movements to make to capture the cocked gun and even directed him to “hold the gun higher,” directly at her. Baldwin says he then let go of the hammer and the gun went off.
“The gun cannot fire unless the trigger is engaged and the hammer is back. So he had the gun, he says he pulled the hammer back. It fired. She was killed,” Panish said.
According to Baldwin, Mamie Mitchell, the script supervisor, told him “You realize you’re not responsible for any of what happened in there, don’t you?” Mitchell has since filed a lawsuit against Baldwin blaming him for not checking the gun.
Baldwin says at first he thought Hutchins may have fainted or had a heart attack. He says it wasn’t until he was being interviewed by Santa Fe deputies and they showed him the .45 caliber slug, that he realized the gun was loaded with live ammo.
Randi Mcginn another attorney for the Hutchins’ family says, “In New Mexico, we’re used to people coming in from out of town, to play cowboy who don’t know how to use guns. and the jury in santa fe is used to that and understands that even on a dood ranch you don’t hand somebody a gun until you’ve given them safety training in guns.”
Baldwin calls the shooting “the worst day of his life” and says there are no “self help” books or support groups for someone who has accidentally killed another person. He says people often villainize him as a murder without putting themselves in his shoes.
The 37-page filing also includes Baldwin’s text messages with Hutchins’ husband before and after the shooting. It describes a friendly conversation between the two with Matthew Hutchins even saying “I guess we’re going to go through this together” and wanting to stay in touch. Baldwin says he was taken aback when he found out Hutchins had filed a wrongful death lawsuit against him.