A gunsmith on the set of Alec Baldwin’s Rust accused him of violating gun safety regulations and said she was not asked to inspect the revolver he used in the murder of cinematographer Halina Hutchins.
Hannah Gutierrez Reed responded to a lawsuit in which Baldwin said Hutchins told him to cock an antique revolver, CNN reports.
“Mr. Baldwin knew that under no circumstances would he be able to point a firearm at crew members and he has a duty to ensure the safety of his crewmates,” Gutierrez Reid said in a statement Saturday, the network reported.
“And yet he pointed the gun at Galina before the fatal incident, against all rules and common sense,” she added.
Gutierrez Reed said that Baldwin and other members of the Western “should and must call Hannah for a gun inspection and safety briefing before any gun scene is produced.”
“Hannah was not called to the church ahead of the impromptu rehearsal of the shootout scene, but should have been,” the statement, quoted by CNN, said.
The rookie gunsmith said she didn’t know what was going on inside the church on the day of the shooting and that the 63-year-old star was in charge of keeping the crew safe.
Alec Baldwin “should and must call Hannah for a gun inspection and safety briefing before any gun scene is produced.” Jae S. Hong / AP
Hannah Gutierrez Reed was reportedly not called to church until rehearsal for the impromptu gunfight scene. Facebook/Serge Svetnoy
According to CNN, Gutierrez Reid said that during her time on set, she faced “constant resistance” from Baldwin and the production staff.
“Hannah stressed the importance of training Mr. Baldwin to cross-pull, which is dangerous,” the statement said.
“He never accepted the offer, and Hannah was unable to conduct this training, as well as other trainings she wanted to do, due to budget and production abandonment.”
Alec Baldwin insists that every mistake that led to the October 21 shooting was “made by someone else.” Elder Ordonez/SplashNews.com
Baldwin said last week that Gutierrez Reed ordered him not to double-check the revolver for live rounds, saying “checking the gun was her job, not his.”
“An actor cannot claim that a weapon is safe. It’s the responsibility of other people on set,” Baldwin said in legal papers filed Friday, in which he denied any responsibility for the shooting of Hutchins.
He insisted that every mistake leading up to the October 21 shooting on set in New Mexico was “made by someone else.”
Baldwin’s statement revealed that he made “an exhaustive effort” to get the team together to complete the doomed film, even after a flurry of lawsuits blamed him for the death of Hutchins’ mother.
“This is a rare case where the system has failed, and someone should be legally responsible for the tragic consequences,” Luke Nikas, the star’s lawyer, wrote in the arbitration lawsuit.
Alec Baldwin claims that Halina Hutchins “ordered Baldwin to hold the gun higher so that it was pointed at her”.
The arbitration claim against Baldwin’s fellow producers argues that his contract shields him from any financial liability in a variety of lawsuits filed against him, including a wrongful death complaint filed by Hutchins’ widow.
Even without that clause, Baldwin was completely innocent of “an unthinkable tragedy,” according to documents that said he was paid $250,000 to star in and produce the low-budget film.
“Hutchins described what she would like Baldwin to do with the placement of the gun… She ordered Baldwin to hold the gun higher so that it was pointed at her,” Baldwin said in a statement.
“An actor cannot claim that a weapon is safe,” Alec Baldwin said in a lawsuit. DKGlobal
“In giving and carrying out these instructions, Hutchins and Baldwin shared a basic, vital belief: the gun was ‘cold’ and contained no live ammunition.
“Baldwin asked Hutchins if she wanted to see him cock the trigger, as the script calls for. She answered in the affirmative,” the statement said.
According to CNN, lawyers for the Hutchins family accused Baldwin of making a statement about “trying to avoid responsibility and accountability for his reckless actions.”
Halina Hutchins’ family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Alec Baldwin. Swen Studios/Handout via REUTERS
“Baldwin’s disclosure of personal correspondence with Matt Hutchins is irrelevant to his claim for arbitration and demonstrates nothing but the merit of Hutchins in his engagement to Baldwin,” the statement said.
“It is shameful that Baldwin claims that Hutchins’ actions in filing a wrongful death suit derailed the completion of Rust. The only act that ended production on the film was Baldwin’s murder of Halina Hutchins,” the lawyers said, according to CNN.