Actor Alec Baldwin is being sued over the shooting death of a cameraman on set last month. (File)
Los Angeles:
US actor Alec Baldwin “elected to play Russian roulette” with safety in the minutes leading up to the shooting death of a videographer, a new lawsuit alleged Wednesday.
The suit is second will be filed in a week about the murder of Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal for the low-budget Western “Rust” in New Mexico last month.
Script supervisor Mamie Mitchell – who made an emotional 911 call after the crash – is accusing Baldwin and his fellow producers of assault, willful mental distress and intentionally cause harm.
Mitchell’s attorney, Gloria Allred, told reporters in Los Angeles: “The events that led to Mr. Baldwin’s firing of a loaded gun were not simple negligence.”
“In our opinion, Mr Baldwin chose to play Russian roulette instead where he opened fire without checking and without the shooter doing so in the presence of the he.
“His behavior and that of the producers on ‘Rust’ was reckless.”
Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and assistant director Dave Halls are also named in the suit.
Cinematographer Hutchins, 42, was fatally shot as Baldwin rehearsed a scene in which he opened fire on the camera.
The Emmy winner was handed the gun by Halls, who declared it “cold” – industry jargon for an inert weapon. Halls later told investigators that he did not fully test.
The live bullet passed through Hutchins and hit director Joel Souza.
“Mr. Baldwin, and industry veterans know that the gun in question was never given to him by the assistant manager. And then he cannot rely on any statements made by the assistant director. director about whether the gun is safe to use,” Allred said.
It’s common practice in the industry for the actor to demonstrate the gun is safe and for that person to hand it over to the actor directly, she said.
“Mr. Baldwin knew this was the norm and it wasn’t followed. And he didn’t test the gun himself.”
Last week, chief lighting technician Serge Svetnoy sued Baldwin and others alleging negligence.
Experts say there will be a flurry of civil lawsuits related to the tragedy.
Adan Mendoza, the sheriff of Santa Fe County, where the incident happened, spoke of “smugness” on set.
Mendoza said his officers had previously seized more than 500 rounds of ammunition from the set, which they believed to be a mixture of white bullets, fake bullets and some suspected real bullets.
District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies previously refused to rule out criminal charges in the case, which has prompted calls to ban functional weapons on Hollywood sets.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from an aggregated feed.)
