Halina Hutchins’ family wants to sue Alec Baldwin after the criminal charges against him were dropped

Relatives of Halina Hutchins, the cinematographer of the film “Rust”, which was accidentally killed on the set in October 2021, are determined to go ahead with a civil lawsuit against actor Alec Baldwin, the BBC reports.

The charges of manslaughter against Baldwin, who was holding the props gun from which the bullet was fired, were dropped Thursday by new mexico prosecutors.

An attorney for Hutchins’ parents and sister said the actor “cannot escape responsibility” for her death.

Alec Baldwin had already reached an agreement with Halina Hutchins’ husband and their 10-year-old son.

Gloria Allred, the lawyer representing Hutchins’ mother Olga Solovey, her father, Anatoly Androsovich, and sister Svetlana Zemko, said Friday that they “remain hopeful”, despite the decision to drop the criminal charges.

“Mr. Baldwin can claim that he is not responsible for pulling the trigger and launching a real bullet that ended Halinya’s life. He can flee to Montana and pretend to be just an actor in a wild west movie, but he cannot escape the fact that he had a major role in a tragedy that had consequences in real life,” the family’s lawyer said in a statement.

Alec Baldwin’s lawyers have labeled the lawsuit filed by Hutchins’ family as “wrong” action.

The civil lawsuit also seeks to hold to account the film’s gunsmith, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, and other producers of the film.

In October 2021, Alec Baldwin was training to shoot a gun on the set of a farm near Santa Fe when it broke out, fatally hitting Hutchins, 42, and injuring director Joel Souza.

The actor denied that he had pulled the trigger, although an FBI report concluded that the gun could not have been triggered without the trigger being pulled.

Baldwin was due to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on May 3, but on Thursday, April 20, prosecutors announced they would withdraw the charges against him.

Gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez-Reed continues to be targeted on two counts of involuntary murder.

Meanwhile, filming for the western “Rust” resumed this week in Montana, nearly a year and a half months after the tragic incident.

Director Joel Souza said the return to the set was “bittersweet” and promised to finish the film “in Halyn’s name”. A lawyer said the main footage is expected to end by May and that “working firearms” or ammunition are not allowed on set.

Photo: Profimedia