The judicial noose is tightening. Grandma Mitchell, employed as a scriptwriter on the set of the western Rust filed a complaint Thursday once morest Alec Baldwin, who accidentally killed a filmmaker in late October. According to this complaint, the actor would have “played Russian roulette” when he handled a weapon without respecting the safety rules in force in the cinema industry.
“Not mere negligence”
“The events that culminated in the triggering of a loaded weapon by Mr. Baldwin did not amount to mere negligence. On the contrary, from our point of view, Mr. Baldwin chose to play Russian roulette when he activated a weapon without having checked it and without the armourer having done so in his presence, accused the lawyer of the script, Gloria Allred, during a press conference in Los Angeles. Its behavior and that of the producers of Rust were dangerous.”
Halyna Hutchins, the director of photography of Rust was fatally injured on October 21 by an accidental shot from the gun held by Alec Baldwin. Mamie Mitchell is the second member of the film’s crew to file a complaint once morest Baldwin and the other producers, following the lawsuit for negligence by a technician on the set. But this is the first time that a complaint has specifically targeted the actor. The script, who had called the emergency services just following the tragedy, said she was suffering from “emotional distress” and other disorders resulting from damage “intentionally caused” by production.
Also targeted by Mamie Mitchell’s complaint are assistant director David Halls, who handed the weapon to Alec Baldwin and told him it was harmless, and filming gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who had the responsibility for firearms used by the team. The 24-year-old has repeatedly claimed that she was unaware of the presence of real ammunition on set.
“He did not check the weapon”
This live ammunition was in the revolver operated by Alec Baldwin when he was rehearsing a scene, and it killed Halyna Hutchins before ending up in the shoulder of the director, Joel Souza.
“Mr. Baldwin and the [autres] experienced professionals knew that the weapon in question should never have been given to him by the assistant director” but through the shooting armory, Ms. Allred accused. The actor “so might not rely on any statements from the assistant director regarding the safety of the weapon”, she reproaches him. US motion picture safety guidelines state that the gunsmith must explicitly show an actor that the gun is safe and then hand it directly to the actor. “Mr. Baldwin knew that was the rule and it was broken. And he didn’t check the gun himself.”, adds the lawyer.
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