Alec Baldwin had a ‘duty to double check’ the gun that caused the death of Halyna Hutchins, according to a new lawsuit filed by chief electrician Serge Svetnoy, who held the cinematographer as she died.
The actor and members of the crew and production team on Rust are being sued by Svetnoy for ‘severe emotional distress’ after the tragic incident.
Svetnoy had been inside the church set when Hutchins, 42, was accidentally shot by Baldwin, and had cradled his dying friend for over 20 mins until the ambulance arrived.
The electrician, who had been standing just feet away from Baldwin when the prop gun fired, was also hit with bullet fragments.
His lawsuit is the first one filed since the tragedy took place on October 21, with the filing alleging that as the scene was a rehearsal, Baldwin did not need to pull the trigger.
Svetnoy told Sky News: ‘I did not expect it, nobody expected it.’
The court documents add: ‘This duty called for Defendant Baldwin to double-check the Colt Revolver upon being handled to ensure that it did not contain live ammunition.’
Svetnoy, who was from the Ukraine like Hutchins, made a general-negligence complaint naming the producers including Baldwin, armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and others. (Metro)